


joong, darling

by seaorbit



Series: sweeter than a midsummer’s breeze. [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Blowjobs, Bottom Kim Hongjoong, Cuddling, Doctor Kang Yeosang, Doctor Kim Hongjoong, Established Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Kim Hongjoong-centric, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Making Out, Marriage Proposal, Moving In Together, Set in Paris, Slice of Life, Smut, This hoe can’t stop writing seongjoong but what’s new, Top Park Seonghwa, adopting a cat, both of them were virgins lmao, just 20k words of seongjoong being soft bfs, lawyer Jeong Yunho, lawyer Park Seonghwa, seongjoong are cute, showering together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22355095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaorbit/pseuds/seaorbit
Summary: stressed doctor kim hongjoong meets charismatic—but undeniably adorable—lawyer park seonghwa on his daily commute to the clinic, not knowing that seonghwa was the missing piece in his life that he so desperately needed, because yeosang yelling and asking hongjoong to get a boyfriend was not cutting it.(or, seonghwa and hongjoong fall in love under the paris lights.)
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: sweeter than a midsummer’s breeze. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642975
Comments: 14
Kudos: 117





	joong, darling

The first time Hongjoong met Seonghwa, it was at a train station. He had been waiting to board a train to Paris for business, and when he sat down, his gaze met that of Seonghwa’s. Hongjoong was never a believer in love at first sight, but he was that day.

Seonghwa was unbearably handsome, with his black hair and big eyes. Hongjoong nearly flinched when Seonghwa sat next to him, and pretended to ignore him. But, after boarding the train, Hongjoong found himself next to Seonghwa again, choosing to engage in small talk.

“So, where are you headed?” Seonghwa had asked, beautiful smile playing on his lips, it was then Hongjoong noticed that Seonghwa had perfect teeth.

“Paris, what about you?” Hongjoong answered, trying to appear as confident as possible. “I’m working on my residency as a doctor,” he added, to alleviate any mystery.

Seonghwa nodded, “good for you.”

It might have been how stunning handsome Seonghwa was, or the early morning nerves, but Hongjoong decided to talk to Seonghwa more. “Um, so what do you do?” He asked, immediately regretting the way he asked the question.

“I’m a lawyer.” Seonghwa said cooly, and Hongjoong soon learned that Seonghwa was incredibly humble, despite being a highly praised and respected lawyer around Europe. “My name’s Seonghwa, by the way.”

“Hongjoong. Do you have any upcoming cases?” Hongjoong questioned, he didn’t know much about the law, just enough to follow it.

Seonghwa sighed thoughtfully, “I’m actually headed to the office right now, I’m meeting a client about their trial that’s coming up.”

“That’s cool, what’s it like?” Hongjoong furthered their conversation, the urge to get to know Seonghwa better building inside of him.

“It’s pretty intense, I must say.” Seonghwa admitted, “if you don’t win a case, you might even get death threats from your clients. But, if you do win a case, you’ll probably get death threats from the opposite side.”

“So you can never win,” Hongjoong finished, chuckling. Seonghwa laughed, humming in agreement.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Seonghwa replied, “but, enough about me, tell me about being a doctor.” Hongjoong’s cheeks turned a light shade of red, he hoped it wasn’t noticeable.

Hongjoong sighed, “it’s pretty exciting, actually. This is my last year of residency, and I’m pursuing neurology, so I’ve been getting to help behind the scenes, and I’ve even helped with some major surgeries.”

Seonghwa grinned, “that’s really amazing, I’ve never met a doctor, especially not one as young as yourself.”

Hongjoong giggled, “you’re probably used to seeing old guys in long, white jackets, huh?” Seonghwa nodded.

“Yeah, basically.” Seonghwa replied, “how have you progressed so quickly?”

“Just by being a social recluse throughout middle school and high school, I just locked myself in a room and studied to pass my exams, it was all smooth sailing from there. What about you, you’re an awfully young lawyer.” Hongjoong said, resting his hand in his palm.

Seonghwa thought for a moment, “pretty much the same thing, I had to work hard and take a lot of extra classes in order to go to college early. It’s been quite interesting, though, competing with all of these older people for the top spot.”

“I can imagine,” Hongjoong agreed, turning his head to the loudspeaker as the conductor announced his stop in French. Hongjoong, using his small repository of the French language, came to the conclusion that he needed to leave. “It’s actually my stop,” he got up to leave, bag in hand, when Seonghwa shot him a smile.

Seonghwa smiled, “it was nice talking to you. Have a good day, Hongjoong.” Hongjoong grinned, nodding and skipping off the train.

(⋆☆⋆)

The second time Hongjoong met Seonghwa, they happened to sit next to each other on the train again. Hongjoong hadn’t noticed Seonghwa at first, but saw him out of the corner of his eye after a minute or two.

“Seonghwa! I thought you looked familiar, sorry about that.” Hongjoong’s face flushed, twiddling his fingers.

Seonghwa chuckled, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. “It’s okay, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong sat down next to Seonghwa, “it’s getting chilly out there, isn’t it? I think it’s going to snow soon.”

Seonghwa nodded, “yeah, it is. So, how was your day yesterday?” Hongjoong smiled at Seonghwa acknowledgment, setting his hands in his lap.

“Thank you for asking, it was pretty good, as usual. You said we were going to your office to meet a client, how did that go?” Hongjoong asked, eyes showing interest.

Seonghwa’s eye’s lit up at the mention of his ongoing case, “pretty good. Their trial is next week, but I’m a bit nervous about it.”

“Why? I’m sure you’re amazing at your job,” Hongjoong assured. Seonghwa blushed, shaking his head.

“I mean, I think I’m fine at my job. But, like I said yesterday, I feel kind of out of place whenever I’m surrounded by these older, more experienced people.” Seonghwa admitted, flinching when he found that his drink hadn’t cooled down yet.

Hongjoong smiled fondly, “I haven’t seen you do it, but just from spending time with you, I have the feeling you’re an amazing lawyer, Seonghwa. Don’t doubt yourself,” Hongjoong chided.

Seonghwa nodded, “okay.”

Soon enough, Hongjoong’s stop had come, and he stood up to leave. Seonghwa grabbed his hand lightly, “before you go, can I have your number?” Seonghwa asked, Hongjoong nodded, there was no way he was going to give up the chance to talk to Seonghwa again.

Hongjoong quickly exchanged numbers with Seonghwa and hurried off to the clinic, he rushed inside and signed in, almost skipping to his assigned room. He made it just in time, narrowly avoiding being late.

“Ah, Hongjoong, you’re here.” Hongjoong skidded into the room, where Yeosang stood with his clipboard. “Not tardy,” Yeosang muttered under his breath.

Hongjoong chuckled, “nope, actually, I was talking to someone on the train ride here.” Yeosang looked pleasantly surprised, is wasn’t usual for Hongjoong to take the train to the clinic instead of his car.

“Oh? May I ask who?” Yeosang looked up from his clipboard after highlighting Hongjoong’s name with a green marker.

Hongjoong sighed dreamily, “this boy named Seonghwa. He’s a lawyer, I met him on the train ride before this one” Hongjoong said, Yeosang made a noise.

“Look at you, getting fancy boyfriends!” Yeosang teased, Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Hongjoong retorted, he hadn’t had time to consider the thought.

Yeosang smirked, “not yet, anyway.” He skipped out of the room before Hongjoong could flick him, cackling loudly.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, walking down to the room he was being paged to, greeting the nurse as he usually did. He went about his day as usual, but his heart lit up just a little bit at the thought of opening his phone to the sight of a text from Seonghwa.

(⋆☆⋆)

After a while, Hongjoong’s lunch break had finally arrived. His last shift had been spent explaining to an angry woman why fasting before blood tests was required, he had suspected that she was swearing at him, but he couldn’t understand what she said.

The cafeteria’s food had improved exponentially since Hongjoong had first started his residence, so Hongjoong got his tray and sat down in his usual spot. He waved to Yeosang when the latter looked around for him.

“So, how’s it going?” Yeosang asked, lifting his fork to his mouth. Hongjoong shrugged, almost bursting into laughter at the thought of the angry, middle aged woman.

Hongjoong covered his mouth, “you would not believe what happened, this lady got so mad at me when I told her that she was going to have to get lab work done. Apparently, she had been avoiding it for a while, and she didn’t know that you have to fast.”

Yeosang laughed, almost drawing the attention of a few people sitting nearby, “how is that even possible? She’s never gotten her blood drawn before?”

Hongjoong made a clueless face, “I don’t know, I guess not.” Hongjoong brought his tea cup to his lips, taking a daring sip to make sure he wouldn’t burn off his tongue.

The next time Hongjoong met Seonghwa was at a coffee shop, and it had all started on a fateful, slow day at the clinic. Hongjoong’s shift was almost over, and he was ready to leave and go grocery shopping.

“Well, Yeosang, it’s been a slow day today.” Hongjoong said, Yeosang shrugged. They both knew that it was probably the calm before the storm, winter hadn’t hit yet, neither had the usual slew of snow-related car accidents.

Yeosang sighed, “I’m excited to get out of here. Jongho and I are having dinner tonight, and it’s Friday, so the traffic might not be as bad.”

“That’s good for you, Yeosang.” Hongjoong replied, some sort of jealousy bubbling inside of him. He thought of how much more fun it would be to be on a date, instead of grocery shopping on a Friday evening.

The clock ticked slowly, until it landed on the special number that granted Yeosang and Hongjoong permission to go home. “Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Yeosang said, slipping on his coat. “Jongho’s waiting for me. Have a good night, Hongjoong.”

“You too,” Hongjoong replied. Yeosang walked out of the door, his shoes echoing against the stars. Hongjoong heard a door close, and decided that it was also about the time he should get on the road.

Just then, his phone lit up, Hongjoong crossed over to his desk to see what caused the notification. There, in all of its glory, was a text from Seonghwa. It had been more than a full day since they had first met, and Hongjoong wasn’t expecting Seonghwa to contact him so soon after that.

The text was a short one, but Seonghwa expressed that he was disappointed that their first meeting was so short, and that he wanted to get to know Hongjoong better. Seonghwa asked Hongjoong to meet him at a cafe, and Hongjoong was too smitten to refuse.

(⋆☆⋆)

Now ditching his plans of going to the grocery store, Hongjoong floated out of the clinic and into the parking garage. He drove down the ramp, using his employee key card to exit the vicinity. Seonghwa had sent him the exact location that they were going to meet at, Hongjoong had never been to that part of the city, so it was a new experience for him

Hongjoong put the address into the maps app, and followed the phone’s directions until he arrived. He wasn’t sure what Seonghwa’s car looked like, but Hongjoong assumed that since he was a lawyer, Seonghwa would be a owner of a nicer one.

Seonghwa sent him a message, telling Hongjoong that he’d be waiting for him in the left corner of the cafe. Hongjoong stepped inside, escaping the chilly autumn air. Seonghwa waved to him, he was dressed in clothes more casual than Hongjoong had expected.

“Hi, Seonghwa!” Hongjoong smiled and sat down.

“Hi, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa giggled, they placed their orders. “How was work?” Hongjoong was about to ask Seonghwa something of the same nature, but shrugged.

“It was a pretty slow day today, actually. I was going to get groceries after work, but you texted me, so, you’ve pretty much saved me from a boring night at home.” Hongjoong said, and it was the truth, he wouldn’t have been doing anything, anyway.

Seonghwa laughed, “I’m glad I could save you.”

“In my opinion, this is a lot better than staying inside the apartment. Although, my plants are the life of the party.” Hongjoong joked, as a cold breeze flew the cafe. “It’s getting cold, I think winter’s going to come sooner than last year.”

“I agree, that sucks, though. I’m definitely more of a summer person, how about you?” Seonghwa said, thanking the waiter as their drinks were brought to the table.

Hongjoong took a sip of his drink, “me too. Fall and winter are too cold for me, and spring is the season for allergies. Summer is the season where there aren’t many walk-in patients, but the other seasons are full of bookings for all kinds of sicknesses.”

“I get it, winter is also the time when people forget how to drive.” Seonghwa paused when Hongjoong laughed, his eyes turning upwards. “It’s true! People come in during winter because of traffic accidents and whatnot.”

Hongjoong continued laughing, “you’re right. This morning, someone almost ran me over when I had to go and transfer to another wing.”

“Woah, that’s scary.” Seonghwa said, eyes glimmering in the ambience of the cafe. “Wouldn’t want someone as cute as you to become one with the road,” he said.

“Oh, you’re too much.” Hongjoong mumbled, blushing wildly. “Let me ask you another question, now.”

“Okay, ask away.” Seonghwa replied, shifting in his chair.

Hongjoong beamed, “good. Now, what’s one thing I probably wouldn’t guess about you?” Hongjoong asked, now feeling relaxed enough to ask more questions.

Seonghwa rested his head in his hand, “that I’m actually pretty shy. I wouldn’t have talked to you because I’m usually to scared to talk to anyone, but my brain was screaming at me to get to know you, so, I’m trying.”

Hongjoong looked impressed, “well, that’s makes me feel special.”

“I’m glad,” Seonghwa replied, “now, it’s my turn to ask a question. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?”

“Uh, probably giving you my number. When I was younger my mom would always tell me to be very afraid of strangers, and would always caution me against interacting with them, let alone give them my number.” Hongjoong answered, “if I told her about this she’d freak out.”

“Oh, being reckless, I see.” Seonghwa teased, “my parents were super strict when I was younger.”

“My turn, are you a night owl or an early bird?” Hongjoong asked, “because I’m definitely a night owl.”

“Me too,” Seonghwa stirred his, “this morning is the worst time of the day, in my opinion. After work is when I get all of my things done, and then it’s back to the daily grind.” He added, Hongjoong nodded. “Where’d you grow up, Hongjoong?”

Hongjoong shifted in his chair, “I grew up in Boston, and I moved here because of school, and just stayed here because it was easier. How about you?”

“I grew up in Maine, but I moved here because some of my family lives here, I’m not sure why, though.” Seonghwa explained, “France is beautiful, and I’ve picked up on some of the language in my time here.”

“I have, too.” Hongjoong agreed, taking another sip of his drink.

“If you don’t mind me asking, you said your parents are strict, what is your family like?” Seonghwa asked, “you said your mom would freak out about talking to strangers.”

Hongjoong sighed, “very uniform. They were always on my back about school and extracurricular activities, they got me into a ton of sports and everything.“ Hongjoong thought for a moment, “one good thing I remember about my childhood was, in my house, I had a few pets that I loved. Actually, when I was younger, I hung out with everything that was either inanimate, or not a human.”

“I was the same way. But, pets? What kind of pets did you have?” Seonghwa asked, “I had a cat and a lot of fish.”

“Me too, we had three cats and a hamster. My mom may be strict about literally everything, but, she sure loves animals,” Hongjoong answered.

Their meeting ended on a good note, Seonghwa had even solidified that is was, in fact, a date that they had just gone on. Hongjoong and Seonghwa agreed to meet again, but at a fancier restaurant instead of a cafe.

“Well, Hongjoong, I had a lot of fun today.” Seonghwa said, “if it’s alright with you, I’d like to meet again.”

Hongjoong turned red, “thank you, I had a lot of fun, as well. We should really do this again sometime, I’ll text you. Take care, Seonghwa!”

(⋆☆⋆)

It was yet another day at the clinic, and Hongjoong had been subject to the feeling of wanting to leave yet again. It had been a week and a half since Hongjoong had gone to the cafe, Yeosang had pointed out the obvious, and Hongjoong had no way to deny his claims. “Hongjoong, you look tired.”

“Well, thank you, Yeosang.” Hongjoong replied, rolling his eyes. “Wouldn’t you be? With all of this snow coming down, we’ve had a lot of people coming in this week, I’m exhausted.”

“Think of it this way, would you rather have a lot of patients or little to no patients?” Yeosang asked, Hongjoong shrugged.

“If I’m being honest, neither.” Hongjoong answered, “can’t we just have a healthy balance?”

“It sounds like something is bothering you,” Yeosang retorted, “care to tell me anything?”

Hongjoong crossed his arms, furrowing his brows. “Fine, I haven’t seen Seonghwa in a while.” Hongjoong admitted, Yeosang appeared to be on the verge of bursting into laughter.

The reality of the situation was that that they hadn’t seen each other in a week, due to their busy schedules. Hongjoong and Seonghwa had been texting every single day, their relationship never lacking communication.

“Dude, you’re whipped.” Yeosang deadpanned, “is he nice?”

Hongjoong twiddled his fingers, “yeah, and he’s so respectful, it’s pretty hard to find guys like that around here.”

“That’s not true! Jongho was so respectful and sweet when I first when I first met him,” Yeosang replied. Hongjoong feigned gagging, making retching sounds.

“That’s nasty,” Hongjoong snickered, Yeosang shot him a look.

“Says the boy who’s missing his future boyfriend. You should text him, go on a date, move in together and adopt a few cats.” Yeosang concluded, his pager buzzed, and he started down the hallway, leaving Hongjoong to grumble.

Hongjoong’s phone rang, and he smiled when he saw the caller’s identity. “Seonghwa! How are you?”

“I’m doing good, Hongjoong, how about you?” Seonghwa asked, a smile evident in his voice. Hongjoong’s heart fluttered at that, but he regaining his composure.

“I’m thriving, I think.” Hongjoong replied.

“That’s good, I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re at work, but, I wanted to ask you something.” Seonghwa began, Hongjoong cleared his throat.

“Oh, what do you want to ask me?” Hongjoong glanced at his pager, thanking the slow down of patients.

“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go on a date with me? It’s okay if you don’t want to—” Seonghwa was cut off by a surprised gasp from Hongjoong.

Hongjoong tried his best not to sound too excited, but it slipped out. “Of course!” He heard a sigh of relief from Seonghwa, and bounced on his toes.

“That’s great, I’ll text you all the details and I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow, have a good rest of your day, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said.

“You too, Seonghwa. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hongjoong added, ending the call. He skipped down the hallway just a he was paged by Yeosang. He got to the room Yeosang was in, Yeosang emerged from the wood with his hands on his hips.

“I heard you talking to Seonghwa, spill.” Yeosang demanded, mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hongjoong grinned, “he asked me out on a date.” Yeosang squealed, jumping up and down.

“I knew this would happen! I’m so happy for you, Hongjoong. When you two are official, we can go on double dates together!” Yeosang gushed, Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

“We haven’t even gone on the date yet, slow your roll, cowboy.” Hongjoong retorted, opening the supply closet to prepare a vaccine. Yeosang trailed behind him, practically on Hongjoong’s heels.

“Yeah, but you’re going on one, aren’t you?” Yeosang asked, Hongjoong couldn’t deny that. Hongjoong kept walking and rounded the corner, leaving Yeosang in the hallway with a needle and syringe in his hand.

(⋆☆⋆)

The next day, Hongjoong felt a mixture of emotions. On one hand, he felt a surge of excitement rushing through his veins, but he also felt like Seonghwa invited him on the date for the sole purpose of letting him down as nicely as possible.

Yeosang had offered, well, no, Yeosang had insisted that he help Hongjoong get ready. It wasn’t like Hongjoong could refuse, Yeosang knew where he lived. “This will be so fun! Seonghwa won’t be able to take his eyes off you when we’re finished here.”

“I hope you’re right, Yeosang. If you’re not, then I’m firing you.” Hongjoong threatened teasingly, Yeosang looked offended.

“You don’t even have the power to do that! Besides, I’m your best chance at looking fabulous, trust me.” Yeosang assured, pretended to flip his hair.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Hongjoong complained, knowing very well that letting Yeosang take charge of his outfit was like consenting to his own murder.

“Let’s stay positive,” Yeosang dismissed, going through the contents of his closet. “You, my friend, have the most boring closet I’ve ever seen.”

Hongjoong frowned, “excuse you! I’ll have you know that I have a very exciting wardrobe.”

Yeosang chuckled, “sure. Okay, it may be a tiny bit tragic, but, I think we can make this work.” Yeosang pulled out a few articles of clothing, smirking, “it’s time.”

Hongjoong looked down at his outfit, he didn’t hate it. Yeosang was surprisingly good at picking out select pieces of clothing from his closet and managing to turn them into a good-looking outfit for Hongjoong’s date.

“Spin around, Hongjoong. You look fabulous!” Yeosang clapped his hands, “now, go. You don’t want to be late.”

Before closing the door and leaving Yeosang to lock up the apartment, Hongjoong stopped and smiled, “thanks for the help, Yeosang. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Yeah, yeah, neither do I. But, you’re welcome.” Yeosang shooed Hongjoong out of the door, closing the door.

Hongjoong smiled to himself, getting into his car. He texted Seonghwa that he was on his way, and began driving to the restaurant. “Calm down, Hongjoong, it’s just Seonghwa. You’re fine,” Hongjoong assured himself, ruffling his hair.

The restaurant was almost exactly what Hongjoong had expected, it was one of those places where they served you small portions of seemingly monumental dishes. Seonghwa had chosen a seat outside, as the snow had calmed down and had even started to melt.

“Hi, Seonghwa!” Hongjoong got to the table Seonghwa had reserved for them, embracing him in a hug, giggling when Seonghwa kissed him on the cheek

“Hi, Hongjoong, it’s really good to see you again.” Seonghwa pulled a chair out for Hongjoong, “our last date felt way too short.”

Hongjoong turned pink, it had only been a few minutes, but his face was already the same shade as his hair. “I felt the same way, I’m glad I’m here now.”

Hongjoong sipped on his drink quietly, shyly looking at Seonghwa. Seonghwa grinned, “so, Seonghwa, if you had enough money to be set for life and didn’t have to work anymore, what would you do with your time?”

Seonghwa hummed, “stay with you.” Hongjoong turned a bright shade of red, almost spilling his drink all over his shirt.

“Okay, I’ll admit, that was smooth.” Hongjoong said, Seonghwa bowed.

“Why, thank you.” Seonghwa motioned for the waiter to come over to them, the waiter dropped their food off.

“My turn, when are you happiest?” Seonghwa asked, lifting his fork up to his mouth.

Hongjoong swallowed, “probably when I’m helping people out at the clinic, or when I’m doing martial arts.”

“Oh? I didn’t know you did martial arts,” Seonghwa looked surprised, “you said you did sports, but I didn’t guess that one.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have guessed that, either. The story of how I got into it was funny. My parents had tried out almost every sport in the area—soccer, football, fencing, they were even desperate enough to try to get me to do gymnastics.” Hongjoong said, Seonghwa laughed, “then, this karate studio opened up near our house, and the rest is history.”

Seonghwa couldn’t stop laughing, putting a hand on the table for support. Hongjoong quirked an eyebrow, Seonghwa calmed down. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry, I’m just imagining you in one of those little gymnastics leotards.”

Hongjoong covered his mouth, “hey, that’s mean. I would look amazing in one of those,” Hongjoong retorted.

“I’m sure you would.” Seonghwa assured, giving Hongjoong another one of his dazzling smiles.

Night had truly fallen, and the stars had come out to play. Seonghwa and Hongjoong walked past fountains, hand in hand. “Seonghwa, I had a lot of fun tonight, again.” Hongjoong said as they neared the Eiffel Tower.

“I did, too.” Seonghwa replied simply. They stopped underneath the tower, looking into each other’s eyes. “Look, Hongjoong, I like you, a lot.”

Hongjoong grinned, “yeah, I do, too. Gosh, you’re so handsome,” Hongjoong cringed, “I did not mean to say that out loud.”

Seonghwa smirked, “you’re cute.” Seonghwa leaned close to Hongjoong’s ear, “can I kiss you?”

Hongjoong nodded, “please.” Seonghwa closed the gap between them, he was gentle at first, his hand gently coming to rest on the side of Hongjoong’s waist. They pulled apart, a small smile playing on Seonghwa’s lips.

“What if someone sees us?” Hongjoong whispered frantically, looking around. Upon realizing that the amount of people walking near them was small, he looked back at Seonghwa.

“Look’s like we’re in luck, then,” Seonghwa concluded. Hongjoong grabbed the collar of Seonghwa’s shirt, bringing their lips together again. Seonghwa rested one hand on Hongjoong’s face, while Hongjoong’s fingers threaded through Seonghwa’s hair.

They pulled apart for breath, foreheads touching. “Wow,” Hongjoong said. “You’re a good kisser.”

“Thanks, you are, too. Believe it or not, that was my first kiss.” Seonghwa replied, Hongjoong looked shocked.

“Mine, too, but it didn’t seem like it was yours.” Hongjoong said, out of breath.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Seonghwa interlaced their fingers, kissing the top of Hongjoong’s head.

(⋆☆⋆)

Seonghwa and Hongjoong became boyfriends that day, and Hongjoong found himself wondering if their relationship had progressed too quickly. “Yeosang, I’ve got a problem, I really like Seonghwa. Like, really like him.”

“Relax, Hongjoong. If you like this guy, then you need to go further, you guys just started dating, after all.” Yeosang stretched out on Hongjoong’s floor, thumbing through a textbook.

“Well, I guess you’re right.” Hongjoong sighed thoughtfully, “it doesn’t really matter what label we put on it, our relationship will still be the same.”

Yeosang checked his nails, “ain’t that the tea.” Yeosang’s phone chimed and he got up to check who had sent him a text, “as much as I’d love to talk about this more, Jongho just texted me and said that he came home early.”

Yeosang slipped his coat on waving to Hongjoong, “bye, Hongjoong, make sure to engage in some quality boyfriend time while I’m gone!”

Hongjoong groaned, rolling his eyes. “Sure, absolutely.” Yeosang closed the door, his shoes skipping down the stairs.

A few days passed, consisting of more draining days at the clinic and Hongjoong staring at the ceiling. Yeosang had been over at his apartment again, evaluating his relationship with Seonghwa for no reason Hongjoong could discern.

“So, he’s been the one to ask you out the past two times, right?” Yeosang asked, glancing at Hongjoong, who had his face in his pillows.

“Yeah, he has.” Hongjoong mumbled, lifting his head.

“Look, I don’t know why exactly you’re making this a big deal, you have to be the one too ask him out this time.” Yeosang said, “it’s just proper.”

Hongjoong rolled over onto his side, “I guess you’re right, I’m acting like someone died or something.”

“Now you’re getting the hang of it, just text him and then ask him out, like, to bowling or something.” Yeosang offered, “Jongho and I go bowling all the time.”

“Yeah, but, bowling’s for losers.” Hongjoong groaned, flopping down onto his bed.

Yeosang scoffed, “you would know that better than everybody.”

“Not nice, I’m going to go text Seonghwa.” Hongjoong rolled off of the bed, going off to another room to find his phone.

“Make sure to be classy!” Yeosang yelled from Hongjoong’s room, earning an eye roll from the latter. Hongjoong hummed, sending Seonghwa a quick text asking if he would be interested in attempting to bowl with him.

Seonghwa replied back, solidifying their plans to fail together. “Yeosang, you frick, I’m going bowling with Seonghwa tomorrow.”

“See? How romantic, maybe even try to make out with him while you’re at it.” Yeosang suggested, Hongjoong flicked his head.

“Must you be so vulgar?” Hongjoong asked, shaking his head.

Yeosang grinned, “that’s why we’re friends. You’re stuck with me, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong sighed, “I guess I am.”

(⋆☆⋆)

“Ok, I apologize in advance for my bowling skills.” Hongjoong started, “you may be disappointed.” Seonghwa chuckled, tying his bowling shoe.

“I’m probably not any better,” Seonghwa replied, standing up and dusting off his hands. “I’ve never been much of a sports person, but it never hurts to try these things.”

Hongjoong grinned, picking up a bowling ball. “I admire your enthusiasm, Seonghwa. I’ll go first,” Hongjoong stepped up to the lane.

After winding up his hand, Hongjoong almost threw the ball in the direction of the pins, he knocked down nearly all of them, just missing one. “See? I told you this would be disappointing.”

Seonghwa smiled warmly, kissing Hongjoong on the cheek. “No, you’re not that bad, try and get a spare.”

Hongjoong picked up another ball, rolling it down the lane. The last pin tipped over, the screen above them, lighting up, awarding Hongjoong with a digital medal with the words ‘First Spare’ written on it.

“Your turn, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong said, pointing at the now-empty lane.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Seonghwa replied. Hongjoong marveled at the way Seonghwa rolled the ball down the lane, effortlessly knocking down every pin.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, “wow, you’re good.”

“Am I really?” Seonghwa asked teasingly, pulling Hongjoong close to him. Hongjoong looked up at him, nodding slowly.

“Yeah, you are.” Hongjoong replied, Seonghwa’s smiled, pecking Hongjoong on the lips. Hongjoong rolled again, missing a few pins.

It went on like that for an hour, before the time that Hongjoong hated the most came, his bedtime. Seonghwa walked him outside, giving a sweet kiss on the lips. “I can’t wait for our next date, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa admitted, holding Hongjoong’s hands.

“Me neither,” Hongjoong replied.

Seonghwa leaned down to kiss Hongjoong’s cheek, “I text you soon, Hongjoong.” Hongjoong went home that night with wild butterflies flying around in his stomach.

“So, how was bowling, lover-boy?” Yeosang asked, lifting his spoon of gelatin to his mouth. Hongjoong had a lovestruck look in his eye that was easy to notice, but he tried to play it off as just thinking of a surgery he had helped with.

Hongjoong almost choked on his quiche, “um, it was fun. He’s pretty amazing, Yeosang. What about you, how’s Jongho doing?”

Yeosang smiled, “thank you for asking, he and I are doing really good, actually.” He replied, “Jongho’s always been really understanding, and with my mother and everything, that’s what I need right now.”

Hongjoong nodded, “yeah, your mother, how are things with her?”

“Good, for the most part.” Yeosang answered, taking a sip of his drink. Hongjoong decided not to question Yeosang further, as Yeosang usually told him more when they hung out.

(⋆☆⋆)

As it turned out, Seonghwa always stayed true to his words. Hongjoong found himself at an ice-skating rink, ready to fall onto his face. Seonghwa assured Hongjoong that they would be fine, and that Hongjoong would probably only get mildly injured.

“Babe, relax. I took ice-skating classes when I was younger.” Seonghwa assured, standing behind Hongjoong and holding his hand. Hongjoong sighed, shoulders less tense.

“Woah!” Hongjoong giggled as Seonghwa lifted him up, gently placing his other hand on his hip. They glided along the rink, with Hongjoong holding onto Seonghwa for dear life. “Ah, I feel like I’m going to fall.”

Seonghwa twirled Hongjoong around, gently helping him into the middle of the rink, their hands still intertwined. Hongjoong giggled as Seonghwa leaned close to his ear, “do you want to try something crazy?”

Hongjoong nodded, squealing as Seonghwa picked up his leg. “Wow, I feel so professional.” He said, wrapping his free arm around Seonghwa’s neck.

“Maybe we could be professional couple skaters,” Seonghwa offered, Hongjoong laughed, considering the thought.

“I would, but this is kind of scary.” Hongjoong admitted, “skating with you forever would be fun, though.”

Seonghwa gave Hongjoong a sweet kiss on the lips, “it would.”

As time went on, Hongjoong found himself falling in love with Seonghwa. Seonghwa was perfect, he was caring, kind, compassionate, everything Hongjoong could ever want in a boyfriend, and Seonghwa seemed to be falling in love with him, too.

“Ok, Hongjoong. I have an idea, feel free to say no.” Seonghwa started, holding Hongjoong’s hands.

“Go on,” Hongjoong said, Seonghwa always proposed exciting date ideas for them.

“So, a friend of mine tried couple’s dancing with his boyfriend, and I think it’d be fun for us to try it, too. What do you think?” Seonghwa asked, hopeful smile on his face.

“Okay, let’s do it. I may suck at dancing, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.” Hongjoong said, giving Seonghwa a small smile.

“I’ll pick you up after work,” Seonghwa offered, pecking Hongjoong’s forehead.

“Bye, Seonghwa, I’ll see you later.” Hongjoong hugged Seonghwa, waving goodbye to him. Seonghwa got in his car, driving off into the day. Hongjoong sighed, it wouldn’t hurt to dance, right?

“Okay, my beautiful people! We are going to start this class of with the basics of ballroom dancing. First, pick who’s leading, figure that out.” The dance teacher said, clapping his hands and scanning the crowd.

“I think you should lead,” Hongjoong whispered, Seonghwa nodded.

“The next thing I want you guys to do, is have the person who’s leading wrap their arm around their partner and interlock your fingers.” The teacher continued, “you can do that now.”

Seonghwa slipped his arm around Hongjoong’s waist, gently grabbing Hongjoong’s hand. Hongjoong smiled, and the instructor continued talking. “Now, step in time with your partner, make sure not to step on their toes. When the music starts, begin.”

Hongjoong looked into Seonghwa’s eyes as the music began, Seonghwa began to lead Hongjoong around the room, their steps in sync. “At the end of the song, feel free to kiss your sweetheart, this is a couple’s dance, after all.”

As the song slowly came to a close, Seonghwa leaned in, Hongjoong did, too. Their lips met, just as the song faded out. Hongjoong saw Seonghwa’s eyes light up, as he gave him a soft smile. The rest of their dance lesson consisted of them focusing on each other, instead of the song. But, they left the studio feeling confident about their abilities.

(⋆☆⋆)

As the seasons changed, so did Hongjoong’s feelings for Seonghwa. He felt like he had been gifted, like Seonghwa was his other half. Seonghwa began inviting Hongjoong to his apartment, which became like Hongjoong’s second home. Hongjoong began sleeping over at Seonghwa’s place, too.

Hongjoong truly loved Seonghwa, as he figured out in the months following their dance lesson. Seonghwa loved him, too. Life was perfect, and Hongjoong was happy.

“So, are you two serious?” Yeosang asked, breaking Hongjoong’s trance. Hongjoong straightened his back, giving Yeosang a look.

“We’re getting there, yeah. Really, Yeosang, I think I love him.” Hongjoong said, resting his head in his hand.

“I’m happy for you, he sounds like a great guy.” Yeosang replied, “have you moved in together yet?”

“No, not yet, I have a feeling he’s going to ask me about it soon, though.” Hongjoong answered, glancing at the clock. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to diner with him tonight.”

“Maybe he’ll ask you then,” Yeosang offered, Hongjoong resisted the urge to elbow him in the gut.

“Yeah, maybe.” Hongjoong wanted to be wishful, maybe he would end the night with a new place to call home.

Later that evening, Seonghwa had picked Hongjoong up, ready to take him to dinner. “So, how was your day?” Seonghwa asked, holding Hongjoong’s hand as they walked from their parking spot to the restaurant.

“Pretty uneventful, yours?” Hongjoong asked, Seonghwa held the door open for him, like the gentleman he was.

Seonghwa pulled out a chair for Hongjoong, “the same as always. It’s better now that you’re here.”

Hongjoong blushed, “you’re so grossly sweet sometimes, what did you want to talk to me about?” Seonghwa thought for a moment, trying to remember the reason for their date, besides it being a weekly occurrence.

Seonghwa nodded, giving Hongjoong’s hand a squeeze. “Joong, I want you to move in with me.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, thinking back to his previous conversation with Yeosang. “You can say no, it’s fine—”

“I would love to, Seonghwa. While we’re at it, can I say something crazy?” Hongjoong asked, playful glint in this eye.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa said, smiling widely.

“I love you,” Hongjoong offered, his heart beating out of his chest.

“Oh, wow, I love you too.” Seonghwa lifted a fork to Hongjoong’s mouth, attempting to feed him. Hongjoong closed his mouth around the utensil, swallowing. “When do you want to move in? You don’t have to rush things.”

“As soon as I can, I want to be with you.” Hongjoong replied simply, taking a sip of his drink. “So, maybe next week.”

“That sounds good, I’m excited about this.” Seonghwa said, truly anticipating Hongjoong’s arrival, waiting for Hongjoong to share his home.

They walked to Seonghwa car, a light blush dusting Hongjoong’s cheeks. “Um, Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa looked down at Hongjoong with a questioning stare, “hm?” Hongjoong closed the gap between them, standing on the tips of his toes to wrap his arms around Seonghwa’s neck. Seonghwa smiled, holding Hongjoong’s waist.

They pulled apart, it felt like a spark had ignited in the bottom of Hongjoong’s stomach, it burned pleasantly, all the way to his toes. They were quiet on the way to Hongjoong’s apartment, but it was a comfortable silence, instead of an uneasy one.

“Goodnight, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong’s forehead, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight, Hwa.” Hongjoong left a small kiss on Seonghwa’s nose and skipped into the building, Yeosang called him shortly after that, just to interrogate him and congratulate him. Hongjoong went to sleep that night with pleasant dreams of Seonghwa and their future together.

(⋆☆⋆)

“Where should I put this?” Hongjoong asked, Seonghwa pointed to a table. The day had finally come when Hongjoong was to move in with Seonghwa, and he was beyond excited, Seonghwa had insisted they redecorate the place, which Hongjoong agreed with.

“You’re a good interior designer, Joong.” Seonghwa commented, hugging Hongjoong from behind.

Hongjoong smiled, “Thank you, maybe this is my true calling.” Seonghwa ruffled Hongjoong’s hair, leaving him to finish decorating the living room.

“So, you’ve moved in together?” Yeosang asked, closing the blinds and joining Hongjoong at the front desk. Hongjoong stared into the distance, looking up and grabbing Yeosang’s hands.

“Yes, I even helped him redecorate the apartment.” Hongjoong said proudly, spinning around to reach the file cabinet. Yeosang screeched, since it was just the two of them closing up the clinic.

Yeosang hugged Hongjoong tightly, squeezing the air out of the latter. “Ah! I’m so happy for you, Joongie!” Yeosang withdrew from the hug, smiling at Hongjoong brightly. “Okay, let’s get out of here, it’s date night.”

Hongjoong nodded, “you go, I’ll close up.” Yeosang patted Hongjoong’s shoulder, giving him a nod.

“By the way, Hongjoong, I’m sorry about what happened today.” He said, skipping out of the room.

Hongjoong sighed, picking up his keychain, which now held the keys to the apartment he shared with Seonghwa. The lobby was quiet, but Hongjoong could see the front of his car from the window.

Upon walking into the parking lot, Hongjoong quickly found out that he was not the only person there. Seonghwa was leaning against the hood of his car, bouquet of flowers in hand. “Uh, hi?” Seonghwa scratched the back of his neck.

Hongjoong leapt into his arms, breathing in his scent. “You’re my hero,” Hongjoong mumbled, pecking Seonghwa on the cheek.

“Bad day?” Seonghwa asked, concern in his eyes. Hongjoong nodded into his chest, pulling away to look into Seonghwa’s eyes. “I’m glad I surprised you, then.”

“What happened today?” Seonghwa questioned, holding Hongjoong’s hand while they walked into their apartment building.

Hongjoong smiled tiredly, “this awful lady yelled at me and told me that I’m horrible at my job, I tried not to take it personally, but, it kind of got to me.”

Seonghwa frowned, the last thing he wanted was for Hongjoong to doubt his abilities. He pulled Hongjoong close to him during their elevator ride, pressing kisses into Hongjoong’s hair. “Don’t listen to her, you’re amazing at what you do.”

Seonghwa closed the door behind them, and sighed when he saw a sad frown on Hongjoong’s face, he leaned down to kiss Hongjoong’s forehead. “Baby, come here.” Hongjoong sniffed, burying his face in Seonghwa’s chest.

“It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t appreciate your work, I love you, and you’re the best doctor I know. I appreciate you.” Seonghwa said, rubbing Hongjoong’s shoulder. “Let’s make dinner, yeah?”

Hongjoong kissed Seonghwa’s cheek, “thank you.”

Seonghwa ruffled his hair, “no problem, Joong.” He crouched down, “hop on.” Hongjoong allowed himself to be picked up by Seonghwa, who walked up the stairs with Hongjoong on his back.

Although it felt like their relationship had just started, Hongjoong truly felt safe with Seonghwa. Ever since the day that Hongjoong confided in Seonghwa, they became closer than ever. Seonghwa made Hongjoong feel secure of himself, a feeling that Hongjoong didn’t feel enough.

(⋆☆⋆)

Before Hongjoong knew it, spring had come. The lovely—and allergy provoking—season when the birds and butterflies came out to play, when Hongjoong and Seonghwa took frequent walks outside, and when Hongjoong got evaluated by his boss.

“Do you think we’re going to get it? The promotion, I mean.” Yeosang asked thoughtfully, Hongjoong hummed.

“Maybe, I think I’ve been working hard this past year.” Hongjoong replied, “if I do, I’m sure Seonghwa will be proud of me.”

“Honey, the way you talk about him, it sounds like you’re the center of his universe—of course he’ll be proud of you. Not to be smart or anything, but it also sounds like you two complement each other, and you lift each other up.” Yeosang explained, ignoring Hongjoong’s widened eyes.

Hongjoong was quiet for a moment, before clearing his throat. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” he said, cleaning off a tool.

Yeosang sighed, “you’re bad at giving compliments, or, maybe you’re just bad at giving them to me.”

“You’re right, I give compliments to Seonghwa all of the time.” Hongjoong said, Yeosang rolled his eyes.

“I have no doubt about that, Hongjoong.” Yeosang retorted, wheeling a patient to another room.

“Yes, Hongjoong, you’re getting a promotion.” Hongjoong’s boss said, checking Hongjoong off a list of some sort.

“Really?” Hongjoong asked, in all honesty, he didn’t think he was truly worthy of a promotion, he figured that Yeosang was more qualified than him. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, you and Yeosang, too.” His boss continued, “congratulations, keep up the good work.” Hongjoong nodded, his boss walked away.

Hongjoong figured he’d call Seonghwa on his way back from work to tell him the good news, and to tell him how excited he was to see him, even though they saw each other every day since Hongjoong had moved in.

“Hey, babe.” Hongjoong walked into the apartment, only to find Seonghwa sitting at the table surrounded by papers. “What’s going on here?”

Seonghwa groaned, “I was assigned a new client, and their case is one of the hardest I’ve had to deal with.” He stood up to give Hongjoong a kiss, “this is stressful.”

“Aw, Hwa, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” Hongjoong asked, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa rubbed Hongjoong’s leg, “just you being here is enough to motivate me to finish this.” He replied, laughing as Hongjoong turned red.

“Well, glad I can help.” Hongjoong said, chuckling.

(⋆☆⋆)

At long last, summer had come, Hongjoong’s favorite season. The sky was blue, the wind blew through Hongjoong’s pink hair—which had become brighter over the course of the year. Summer was the time that Seonghwa and Hongjoong spent a lot of time out on the penthouse deck during their weekends, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

The day had finally come for Yeosang to meet Seonghwa, Yeosang had been bugging Hongjoong about it ever since Hongjoong first mentioned Seonghwa in a conversation. So, Hongjoong came to the conclusion that setting up a double date would be good for his sanity.

“Awe, Joong, I’m glad I get to meet your friends.” Seonghwa said, pouring Hongjoong a cup of juice. Hongjoong sighed, sitting down at the counter and rubbing his temples.

“I am, too, but be warned, Yeosang’s truly something else.” Hongjoong replied, “it’s about time, though.”

Seonghwa hugged Hongjoong from behind, placing a kiss on his cheek. “So, where are we going?”

Hongjoong giggled, “the beach, it’s so nice outside today.” He was right, the sun shone brightly, the beach looked warm and inviting.

Seonghwa set out a blanket, patting the spot next to him. “Is that them?” He asked, pointing to an overly-happy Yeosang holding hands with Jongho. Hongjoong nodded, standing up to give Yeosang a hug.

Seonghwa shook hands with Jongho and Yeosang, introducing himself. He began talking to Jongho about something, Yeosang used that as an opportunity to slip back over to Hongjoong. “Wow, Seonghwa’s a gentleman.”

Hongjoong smiled, “yeah, he is.”

The rest of their outing, Hongjoong felt touchy, the good way, of course. Seonghwa didn’t mind, in fact, he reciprocated Hongjoong’s actions. “Hwa, can you help me put this lotion on my back? I can’t reach this one spot, my arms are too short.” Hongjoong explained, holding out a bottle.

Seonghwa took the bottle, “of course, love. Here, lay down.” Hongjoong sighed contentedly, Yeosang and Jongho were in their own world, splashing each other with water and whatnot.

Seonghwa uncapped the bottle, running his fingertips over Hongjoong’s back, pressing gently into his skin. Hongjoong closed his eyes as he felt the lotion on his back, Seonghwa was good at applying lotion, he thought.

Seonghwa kneaded the lotion into Hongjoong’s skin, moving his thumb in circles, making sure not to miss a single spot. “Guys, let’s play volleyball!” Yeosang shouted, Hongjoong sat up, rolling his eyes.

Hongjoong bit his lips, “you’re really good at that, Hwa.” He skipped away, helping Yeosang set up the net.

The rest of their outing consisted of Hongjoong discovering his hidden volleyball talent, which he had absolutely no idea he had. Jongho took off his shirt, much to Yeosang’s chagrin. Once their game had ended, Hongjoong sat next to Yeosang on their towel.

“You’re really suffering, huh?” Hongjoong asked, snickering quietly.” Yeosang pouted, glaring in Jongho and Seonghwa’s direction.

“Of course I am! Wouldn’t you be?” Yeosang retorted incredulously, taking a sip of his water. Hongjoong shrugged, taking off his sunglasses.

“No, it isn’t that big of a deal—” Hongjoong’s breath hitched as Seonghwa took of his shirt, shooting Hongjoong a smile. “Okay, you know what? Scratch that.” Seonghwa winked, Hongjoong’s face flushed red and he quickly shoved his glasses back on his face.

(⋆☆⋆)

Seonghwa pulled in the parking garage, picking Hongjoong up. “I had fun today, Joong, your friends are nice.”

“I’m glad you did, Hwa.” Hongjoong twisted Seonghwa’s hair in his fingers, staring dreamily into Seonghwa’s eyes. They made it inside, Seonghwa set Hongjoong down.

Hongjoong giggled, eyed Seonghwa up and down, and skipped inside. Seonghwa shook his head, walking inside and closing the door. Upon closing the door, Seonghwa was greeted by a deep kiss from Hongjoong, who tangled his fingers in his hair.

Hongjoong stood on the tips of his toes, holding Seonghwa close to him. Hongjoong licked Seonghwa’s lips, slipping his tongue inside his mouth. Seonghwa’s eyes widened as Hongjoong sank to his knees, pulling off Seonghwa’s pants.

Seonghwa’s hand flew to Hongjoong’s hair as Hongjoong took Seonghwa into his mouth, Seonghwa’s back hit the wall, while Hongjoong smirked.

“Ah, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa buried his fingers in Hongjoong’s hair, looking down at Hongjoong on the floor. Hongjoong moaned, looking up at Seonghwa through his eyelashes. Seonghwa groaned, biting his lip.

Hongjoong moved his head, causing Seonghwa to throw his head back. Seonghwa panted, “do you want me to—”

“Please.” Hongjoong cut Seonghwa off, standing up and wiping his mouth. “You taste good, Seonghwa.” He said, giggling and skipping off to their room.

Once they had almost settled in for bed, Seonghwa sat at the edge of the bed, drying his hair. Hongjoong swung his leg over Seonghwa’s, straddling him. Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s neck gently, connecting their lips.

Hongjoong tilted his head, gently licking over Seonghwa’s lips. Seonghwa moved his lips, hand resting on Hongjoong’s cheek. Hongjoong pulled away, giggling. “Can I mark you, Hwa?” Seonghwa nodded, Hongjoong hadn’t asked that before.

“Of course you can,” Seonghwa replied.

Hongjoong’s lips hovered over Seonghwa’s skin, “don’t worry, you can mark me, too, we’ll match.” He lowered his lips to Seonghwa’s neck, gently sucking a mark into his skin. Seonghwa held Hongjoong’s waist, while the mark on his neck turned red.

“My turn,” Seonghwa said, flipping them over. Hongjoong held onto Seonghwa’s neck, while Seonghwa pressed his lips to the spot just above Hongjoong’s collarbone. Hongjoong sighed, admiring his new mark in the mirror. Seonghwa kissed him again, slightly biting Hongjoong’s bottom lip as they pulled apart.

Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s hand, smile making its way to his lips. He leaned down to Seonghwa ear, “that was so hot, Hwa.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

“You’re awfully enthusiastic tonight,” Seonghwa commented, “I can’t say that I don’t like it.” Hongjoong pecked Seonghwa on the lips and forehead, burying his face in his neck.

“It’s nothing, you just looked really hot today, and I realized that my life would be boring without you, I love you so much.” Hongjoong said, hugging Seonghwa close to him.

Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong’s forehead softly, “awe, I love you too, Joong. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Nothing,” Hongjoong replied, climbing into bed. “Cuddle me,” he deadpanned. Seonghwa laid next to him, allowing Hongjoong to slip his leg over his, pulling him closer.

“Goodnight, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa whispered, leaving a sweet kiss on Hongjoong’s cheek. Hongjoong brushed a stray strand of hair out of Seonghwa’s eye, his finger floating over Seonghwa’s lips.

“Goodnight, Seonghwa, have sweet dreams.” Hongjoong replied, shutting off the light.

“Oh, I will, I’ll be dreaming of you.” Seonghwa said, Hongjoong snorted.

“You cheeseball,” Hongjoong chuckled, stroking Seonghwa’s cheek.

“Only for you, Joong, only for you.” Seonghwa replied, as they were pulled into a blissful slumber.

(⋆☆⋆)

It was yet another day at the office, but the atmosphere felt different, Hongjoong was nervous. Although it was summer, which was usually the time he felt the least concerned about anything, one of his final evaluations was right around the corner.

As much as Hongjoong loved Seonghwa, the thought of talking to him about the growing stresses in Hongjoong’s life was enough to make him want to rip his hair out. He knew that not telling Seonghwa about how he really felt was going to come back and bite him for sure, but he concluded that it wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Seonghwa seemed to notice that something was off, because the mood around the apartment changed. The last thing Hongjoong wanted was for Seonghwa to feel sad because of him, so he made the decision to tell Seonghwa about what was going on.

“Hwa, mandatory bae meeting.” Hongjoong announced, dragging Seonghwa into the living room. Seonghwa sat down, looking at Hongjoong expectantly.

“What is it, love?” Seonghwa asked, crossing his legs.

“I’ve been hiding something from you, and it’s been making me feel worse and worse every minute I keep it from you.” Hongjoong admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

Seonghwa looked visibly concerned, “what? Joong, you know you can tell me anything, right?” Hongjoong nodded slowly, looking down at the ground.

“I know, it’s just that I’ve been stressed lately. My final evaluations are coming up, and I’m so scared that I’ll fail, not becoming a doctor is the easier part of things, I’m mostly scared about disappointing you.” Hongjoong said, waiting for Seonghwa’s reaction.

Seonghwa stood up, engulfing Hongjoong in a tight hug. “Joong, I love you so much, nothing you could do would disappoint me, please don’t be afraid to tell me anything.”

“I just—I just don’t want you to dote on me, it’s not fair for you to be so giving to me and for me to not reciprocate, I want to do as much for you as you do for me.” Hongjoong explained, face burning with embarrassment.

Seonghwa rubbed Hongjoong’s back, “Joong, although I do believe you are perfect, you do so much more for me than you realize, you cook, you help me clean, you help me run this household, most of all, you keep me grounded. We’re equals, now and forever.”

Hongjoong smiled, “do you really mean that?” He knew Seonghwa meant what he said, but it felt better to hear it come out of his mouth.

Seonghwa pressed a kiss to Hongjoong’s hand, “of course.” He left a gentle kiss on Hongjoong’s neck, “but, no more secrets, okay?”

Hongjoong nodded, “okay. Starting now, what are you thinking right now?”

Seonghwa thought for a moment, “first of all, how lucky I am to have you.” Hongjoong blushed, gesturing for Hongjoong to continue. “Second, I think we should leave for a while, go someplace warm.”

Hongjoong made a noise, “when?”

“After your evaluation, they’ll probably give you a break after that.” Hongjoong thought back to when his boss explained that he hadn’t been using any of this free days, which he had his non-existent social life to thank. “I have a lot of vacation days left, too.”

“You’re right, I have a reason to use my free days, now, thanks to you.” Hongjoong said. “So, it’s settled, we’ll go somewhere sunny and warm together.”

Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong’s forehead, “sounds like a plan.”

Hongjoong beamed, “now, I made dinner for you, let’s eat.”

Seonghwa sighed, “see? Equals!” Hongjoong rolled his eyes playfully, disappearing into the kitchen.

(⋆☆⋆)

The new dynamic around the house made life a lot better for Seonghwa and Hongjoong, as Hongjoong no longer felt like a burden to himself, and Seonghwa. As their feelings softened, the colors of the trees changed, too.

Fall had come again, much to Hongjoong’s chagrin. The usual calm before the winter storm had befallen the clinic, which meant that Yeosang and Hongjoong were stuck taking care of a lot of people with the flu.

Hongjoong was the first to break the silence in the empty lobby, “how’s Jongho?” Yeosang turned to him, smirking.

“Oh, we’re doing great. He’s been wanting to try new things,” Yeosang said, snickering quietly. Hongjoong got what Yeosang was trying to say, and he gagged.

“Gross! That’s too much information,” Hongjoong groaned.

“Lighten up, Hongjoong. What about you, have you and Seonghwa done anything yet?” Yeosang asked, almost tripping over his shoelaces.

Hongjoong turned red, “no, not yet. I’ve never done anything before, and I don’t think he has, either. Well, actually, I did do something with him after we came back from the beach.” Hongjoong said proudly, hands on his hips.

Yeosang looked impressed, “oh, really? What’d you do?”

“I’ll let you take a few guesses,” Hongjoong replied simply, skipping off to the emergency ward. Yeosang stood there, completely dumbfounded.

“Woah, when did this change?” Yeosang asked, brows burrowed.

“When did what change?” Hongjoong replied, opening the cupboards, trying to find a box of bandages.

“I don’t know, did Seonghwa ruin your innocence?” Yeosang offered, rubbing his temples. Hongjoong shook his head, small smirk playing on his lips.

“No, I probably ruined his.” Hongjoong answered, “but we haven’t done the thing yet.”

“I’m afraid for when you do,” Yeosang said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

(⋆☆⋆)

Seonghwa opened the door, “my love, I’m home.” Hongjoong looked up from the book he was reading, running up to Seonghwa to give him a hug.

“I missed you,” Hongjoong said.

Seonghwa ruffled Hongjoong’s hair, “aw, Joong, I missed you, too. Let’s cuddle, yeah?” Hongjoong nodded, giving Seonghwa a kiss.

After a struggle, Hongjoong had successfully collected every pillow, stuffed animal, and blanket they owned and gathered them in the living room. “Okay, Hwa, we’re making a pillow castle.” Seonghwa laughed, joining Hongjoong in the room.

Hongjoong stacked the pillows on top of each other, forming a house of sorts. Seonghwa draped the blankets over the structure, Hongjoong gestured for Seonghwa to enter. “Come into my castle, Hwa.”

“With great pleasure, Prince Hongjoong.” Seonghwa crouched down, disappearing inside the formation of pillows. He laid down, Hongjoong laid down next to him. “So, if you’re the prince, does that make me your knight?”

“Yeah, I imagined our story to be that I’m the prince, and I’m secretly in love with the most galant knight, and then our story ends with us marrying and overthrowing the castle.” Hongjoong said, gazing tiredly at Seonghwa beside him.

“That’s quite a story, Joong, I love it.”Seonghwa whispered, thumb grazing Hongjoong’s cheek.

“I want it to be our story, figuratively, I mean.” Hongjoong explained.

“Even the marriage part?” Seonghwa asked, joking tone evident in his voice.

Hongjoong shook his head, “no, everything but that.” They had been together for over a year, but their bond was so strong that they frequently talked about being together for the rest of their lives. Hongjoong sighed, “I really, really love you, Seonghwa.”

“I love you too, Joong.” Seonghwa pulled Hongjoong close to him, “let’s sleep here, in our castle.”

“Fine, but you’re helping me clean this up tomorrow.” Hongjoong reasoned, knowing that Seonghwa would help him whether he asked or not.

“Of course, love.” Seonghwa kissed his forehead, holding him as he fell asleep.

“So, he basically said that he wants to marry you?” Yeosang asked in disbelief, opening his yogurt cup. A gust of frigid winter air blew through the clinic, causing Hongjoong to shiver.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Hongjoong stated proudly, taking a bite out of his chocolate bar.

“Seonghwa is really good for you, Joong, I can feel it. I usually wouldn’t approve of guys you date, but there’s just something about him, something really good.” Yeosang said, “you two are meant for each other.”

“Thank you, that’s good to hear.” Hongjoong replied, “I really hope he’s okay, though, this one client of his has been harassing him.”

“I hope he’s okay, too, wouldn’t want you losing your only bae.” Yeosang snickered, standing up to dispose of his trash.

“You’re impossible,” Hongjoong complained, following Yeosang to the lab room.

(⋆☆⋆)

Hongjoong had been sitting on the couch with a pen in hand, correcting mistakes in his report to his boss that had attempted to slip past him when Seonghwa came in through the door. Seonghwa looked like a wreck, his eyes tearful and his lips quivering. Worst of all, Seonghwa was walking on crutches. Hongjoong couldn’t bear to see his poor boyfriend like that, it wasn’t a common sight.

Hongjoong held out his arms, “Hwa, baby, what happened?” Seonghwa sniffed, a sob racking through his body. “Oh, Hwa, come here.” Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa close to him, rubbing soothing circles into his back.

Seonghwa laid his head on Hongjoong’s shoulder, his tears wetting Hongjoong’s shirt. Hongjoong held Seonghwa close, “shh, Hwa, you’re okay, I’m here.”

Hongjoong wrapped Seonghwa in a towel, rushing to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Seonghwa bit his lip, “Joong, don’t leave.”

Hongjoong smiled softly, “don’t worry, Hwa, I’ll be back in a second, I’m making you some tea.”

After setting down a cup of tea for Seonghwa, a Hongjoong sighed, “Baby, I’m so sorry this happened to you, do you want to talk about it?” He looked at Seonghwa with nothing but love and concern in his eyes, “it’s okay if you don’t.”

“I’ve had a really bad day, Joong.” Seonghwa started, pausing to lift the cup of tea to his mouth, he struggled a bit, Hongjoong noticed and helped him take a sip. “Thank you. It all started when I got to work, everything was fine until this arrogant client began harassing me, he followed me and everything, I tried to get away from him by going down the stairs, but I tripped and fell.”

Hongjoong was silent, letting Seonghwa continue. “Then, I was just lying there, you know? Just lying there, my leg hurt so bad, the client walked away, I even think he was laughing, so I had to call someone myself.”

Hongjoong rubbed Seonghwa’s hand, “why didn’t you call me? I would have helped you, of course.”

“I know, but I just didn’t want to disturb you at work.” Seonghwa said, giving Hongjoong a sorry look. “I’ll be like this for a while,” he added sadly. “I’ll be useless.”

“Don’t say that, Hwa, you’ll just have to take a little break for a while. I’ll take care of everything until you get better, I promise.” Hongjoong replied,“under my care, you’ll be up and running in no time.”

Seonghwa sniffed, giving Hongjoong a tired smile, “thank you, Joong.”

“You’re welcome, Hwa, anything for you.” Hongjoong replied, stroking Seonghwa’s cheek. Hongjoong was going to make sure Seonghwa got better, if it was the last thing he did.

The weeks following were mundane, Seonghwa was sad, but he got less sad, and even looked happy when his leg finally healed. “Hwa?” Hongjoong stepped into their room, frowning when he saw Seonghwa with his head on his desk. “Hwa, baby.”

Seonghwa sat up, smiling, “sorry, I passed out.” Hongjoong nodded, chuckling quietly.

“Come on, Hwa, let’s go eat dinner.” Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s hand, helping him down the stairs.

Seonghwa took a bite of his food, swallowing slowly. “Joong, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” Hongjoong sipped his water, giving Seonghwa a questioning look.

“There’s a banquet at work, and I want you to be my date.” Seonghwa said, “you don’t have to, of course.”

Hongjoong rubbed Seonghwa’s hand, “of course I’ll be your date, your fancy lawyer friends need to meet your boyfriend.” Hongjoong replied playfully, “when is it?”

“Tomorrow,” Seonghwa admitted sheepishly.

“Ok, it’s settled, we’re going to your banquet tomorrow.” Hongjoong said, “by the way, you’re doing the dishes tonight.”

(⋆☆⋆)

Hongjoong hadn’t been to many gatherings in his life, just the occasional family wedding and Thanksgiving gathering, so the entire concept of being a date to a big banquet was new to him. “Hwa, there are a lot of people here.”

Seonghwa rubbed his back, “I know, Joong.” They sat down at a table with another couple, Seonghwa seemed to vaguely know them.

“Ah, Yunho, how are you doing?” Seonghwa asked, one of the boys turned his head to him, giving him a smile.

“Good, Mingi and I are getting married soon, are you coming to the wedding?” Yunho asked, his arm around his fiancé.

“Oh, yeah, of course we’ll be there.” Seonghwa replied, gesturing to Hongjoong.

Yunho extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Yunho.”

Yunho’s fiancé shook Hongjoong’s hand, “Mingi.” Hongjoong nodded, turning his attention back to Seonghwa.

The banquet went slowly, with the courses feeling like they lasted hours. Hongjoong wasn’t a banquet veteran, so everything felt weird. Luckily, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were delivered a bottle of wine, which Hongjoong was grateful for.

“I haven’t seen you drink alcohol yet, Joong, how well do you take it?” Seonghwa asked, pouring himself a glass.

“Pretty well, I would say.” Hongjoong replied, nodding as Seonghwa poured a glass for him, too.

By the end of the banquet, Hongjoong acted as if he had just done drugs. Seonghwa tried his best to steer Hongjoong out of the road and into the car, but Hongjoong had other plans. Seonghwa managed to wrangle Hongjoong into the car, and they began their journey home.

Seonghwa carried Hongjoong down the hallway, trying his best to pay attention to the floor in front of him, but it was hard with Hongjoong winking at him every few seconds. Once they reached the door, Seonghwa gently set Hongjoong down so he could unlock the door.

Although Hongjoong wasn’t even close to fully drunk, Seonghwa had figured out that even the slightest bit of alcohol turned Hongjoong into a giggly, silly boy— so much for Hongjoong taking it well. Seonghwa guided Hongjoong into the apartment, shutting the door and locking it.

“Hey, Hwa.” Hongjoong almost shouted, Seonghwa figured that Hongjoong thought he was whispering.

Seonghwa turned to Hongjoong, dazzling smile on his face. “Yeah, Joong?” Hongjoong wrapped his arms around him, breathing close to this ear.

“I love you,” Hongjoong said, kissing Seonghwa on the cheek. Seonghwa gulped, truth be told, every little thing that Hongjoong did was a weakness, but whenever Hongjoong acted cute, Seonghwa felt like he was going to explode with happiness.

Seonghwa leaned down slightly, just enough to reach Hongjoong’s head. He gently kissed the center of Hongjoong’s forehead, “I love you too, Joong.”

Hongjoong skipped off to their room, leaving his coat on the floor. Seonghwa sighed, picking up the fallen article of clothing and hanging it on the coat rack. He clicked his tongue as he saw Hongjoong’s socks near the door, he picked those up, too.

Hongjoong laid on their bed, mumbling about something. “Joong, what are you doing over there?” Seonghwa walked over to Hongjoong, sitting down next to him.

“I don’t know, but, I feel better now.” Hongjoong replied, sitting up. Seonghwa quirked an eyebrow, wondering how Hongjoong sobered so fast.

“Are you sure about that?” Seonghwa asked, stroking Hongjoong’s cheek. Hongjoong hummed in affirmation, giving Seonghwa a little nod. After getting the answer he wanted, Seonghwa stood up, walking to the door. “I’ll be in the shower, then.”

Hongjoong rolled off of the bed, landing on the floor. Hongjoong felt like he was floating on a cloud, and he knew that while Seonghwa and him both had a few sips of the beverages offered at the banquet, he wanted to be with Seonghwa. Grinning mischievously, Hongjoong glanced out of the door.

Seonghwa had left the bathroom door open, probably because he worried that Hongjoong might get hurt trying to open the door and tell him something. Hongjoong padded to the door and into the hallway, peering out from behind the bathroom door, “Hwa?”

Hongjoong heard Seonghwa’s warm voice from the shower, “come in, Joong, shower with me.” Seonghwa offered, the sound of running water echoing off of the walls. Hongjoong’s face flushed, the offer was compelling.

Whenever he was with Seonghwa, Hongjoong liked to go by the prophecy that you only live once, although he dreamt that he’d stay with Seonghwa forever. Hongjoong undressed slowly, his stuffy dress shirt falling to the floor.

After undressing, Hongjoong stepped into the shower. Seonghwa’s smile grew when he save his beloved Hongjoong, and Hongjoong didn’t fail to notice the way Seonghwa’s lip caught between his teeth. Seonghwa held out a bottle of shampoo, gesturing for Hongjoong to come closer.

Hongjoong shuffled towards Seonghwa, who pulled Hongjoong into his chest and began massaging shampoo into Hongjoong’s soft, pink hair. Hongjoong sighed and closed his eyes as the warm water ran down his back, Seonghwa slowly washed the soap out of Hongjoong’s hair.

“Can I wash your hair, Hwa?” Hongjoong asked, looking up at Seonghwa through his long eyelashes.

“Of course you can, babe.” Seonghwa answered, turning his back to Hongjoong with a quiet chuckle. Hongjoong blushed, running his hands through Seonghwa’s black hair.

“Have I ever told you that you look really hot with black hair?” Hongjoong blurted, Seonghwa bit his lip, gently pushing Hongjoong against the shower wall.

Seonghwa leaned in, close to Hongjoong’s ear. “No, but you can enlighten me.” Seonghwa pressed his lips against Hongjoong’s, tongue sliding over his teeth. Filled with a new passion, Hongjoong moved his lips against Seonghwa’s slowly, biting his lip.

Seonghwa moved his lips to Hongjoong’s neck, ghosting over the skin, “can I?” He had marked Hongjoong before, but he figured that he could never be too careful.

Hongjoong giggled, “sure, Hwa.” Seonghwa traced his lips along Hongjoong’s neck, sucking marks into the skin. Hongjoong bared more of his neck as a reflex, moaning softly, Seonghwa smirked against his neck.

Seonghwa pulled away slowly, giggling and pouring body wash into his palm. Hongjoong was frozen in place, face still red. Seonghwa rubbed the soap into Hongjoong’s skin, ignoring Hongjoong’s embarrassed stare.

“Don’t be embarrassed, love.” Seonghwa said, “I like marking you.” Hongjoong bit his lip, looking at Seonghwa shyly. They had kissed before, but, they had promised to be each other’s first for everything. They were both young, and both of their experiences came from each other.

Seonghwa pressed a kiss into Hongjoong’s hair, running his hands over Hongjoong’s body. Hongjoong giggled, standing on the tips of his toes to kiss Seonghwa’s head. They rinsed themselves off, Seonghwa made it a point to take care of Hongjoong properly.

(⋆☆⋆)

Hongjoong sat on their bed, drying his hair. Seonghwa sat next to him, facing the mirror. Seonghwa brushed through his hair with his fingers, fluffing it gently. It may have been the small amount of alcohol in his system, but Hongjoong’s urge to kiss Seonghwa had grown.

“Hwa?” Hongjoong looked over to Seonghwa, who blinked and removed his hand from his hair.

“Yeah?” Seonghwa leaned his elbows on his knees, pupils wide.

Hongjoong twiddled his fingers, “how do I say this without sounding weird? Hwa, I want you to make love to me.”

Seonghwa’s breath hitched, but he nodded. “Are you sure? What if I’m bad at it? What if you hate me after that? What if—” Hongjoong cut Seonghwa off with a kiss, leaning their foreheads together.

“Relax, Seonghwa. I love you,” Hongjoong deadpanned, “and, you’d have to either have a ridiculously small penis, or be a huge jerk. We both know that you don’t fit into that criteria,” Hongjoong said.

Seonghwa blushed, “well, who am I to object to that?”

Hongjoong smiled, “good.”

Hongjoong leaned forward, connecting their lips. Seonghwa gently pushed Hongjoong onto the bed, “hold on. Before we do anything serious, are you actually sure you want to do this? Because, I don’t want to be the one to be your first if—”

“Seonghwa, I love you.” Hongjoong concluded, “you’re the center of my universe, dare I say, my soulmate.”

Seonghwa sighed, “gosh, you’re so sweet, Joong. What did I do to deserve an amazing boyfriend like you?”

Hongjoong kissed Seonghwa again, “I honestly don’t know,” he mumbled against Seonghwa’s lips. “I’m just kidding, I love you so much, Hwa. Even though I’ve never done this before, I know you’ll be the first and last person to ever see me like this.”

Seonghwa tucked a strand of hair behind Hongjoong’s ear, “okay.” Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong slowly, his hand resting on the side of Hongjoong’s face. Hongjoong gasped as Seonghwa licked his lips, slipping his tongue inside of Hongjoong’s mouth.

Seonghwa couldn’t lie, the sexual tension had been building to its highest peak ever since Hongjoong had gone down on him after they came back from the beach. Hongjoong had been more confident and flirty since then, and Seonghwa would have been lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying it.

Hongjoong slowly unbuttoned his silk shirt, letting it slide to the floor. Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he did the same. Hongjoong laid down, spreading his legs, motioning for Seonghwa to sit between them.

It was at that moment that Hongjoong began to feel nervous, and insecure thoughts began to fill his mind. He screwed his eyes shut, not ready to look at Seonghwa for the fear of being judged.

“Joong, baby, look at me.” Seonghwa looked down at Hongjoong, pushing hair out of Hongjoong’s face. The room felt incredibly hot, despite the below-freezing windchill. Hongjoong was no longer as giggly as he was thirty minutes prior, but his more serious expression made him more ethereal.

“I’m sorry if I’m bad at this,” Seonghwa said. Hongjoong blew his hair out of his eyes, his breath quiet and soft.

“I’m not any better. But, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that we’re each other’s firsts, because we’re in this together.” Hongjoong replied, “I love you, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa gently kissed Hongjoong’s forehead, “I love you too, Hongjoong, so much.” His lips met Hongjoong’s, and it felt like an explosion brewing at the bottom of a volcano. They pulled apart, both slightly out of breath. “You’re angelic, my love.” Seonghwa said, his tongue slipping into Hongjoong’s mouth.

Hongjoong had complimented Seonghwa’s ability to kiss before, but, the moment seemed to have made things far more exciting than before. Their breath transferred between each other’s bodies, a bead of sweat slowly trickling down Seonghwa’s head. The kiss felt perfect, like they were made for each other.

Hongjoong tangled his fingers in Seonghwa’s hair as he felt Seonghwa’s warm lips on his neck, leaving small marks along the way. Hongjoong felt like an uncontrolled mess of emotions, all of his pent-up energy spilling out of him like a waterfall.

Hongjoong knew Seonghwa felt it, too, and every time Seonghwa leaned down to kiss his fears away, he fell deeper and deeper in love. Seonghwa kissed the center of Hongjoong’s forehead, nose, and neck, a small spark pricking at the hair on Hongjoong’s body.

The pillows felt softer as Hongjoong pushed himself back into them, Hongjoong’s hair fanned out beautifully against the sheets, his pink hair contrasting against the white. Seonghwa’s thumb grazed Hongjoong’s lips, examining his features.

Seonghwa reached to the side table, uncapping a bottle. “Are you sure you want to do this, Joong?” Hongjoong nodded, no hesitation in his eyes. At that,Seonghwa slipped a finger inside of Hongjoong, waiting for a reaction.

“Ah, move, Hwa.” Hongjoong moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Seonghwa complied, moving his finger slowly. “You can add more.”

“You’re doing so good, baby.” Seonghwa added another finger, relishing in the sight of Hongjoong panting breathily beneath him. By the third finger, Hongjoong’s back arched, his mouth falling open.

“More, Hwa, I want you so bad.” Hongjoong whimpered, pressing back on Seonghwa’s fingers.

Seonghwa marked Hongjoong’s chest, moving his fingers quickly. “Are you ready, Joong?”

Seonghwa ran his hand along Hongjoong’s side, pressing a kiss to Hongjoong’s lips. “You’re so perfect, Joong. I’m going to make you feel good, I promise.”

“I’m ready,” Hongjoong whispered.

Hongjoong heard Seonghwa open a package, presumably to slide something on. Hongjoong closed his eyes, preparing for an impact. But, after a few seconds, he decided he wanted to see Seonghwa. Seonghwa slid into him slowly, groaning and giving Hongjoong a moment to adjust.

“Move,” Hongjoong moaned, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa’s neck. Seonghwa slowly moved his hips, filling Hongjoong’s body. “Faster, please, please, please.” Hongjoong whined, tears of pleasure filling his eyes.

Hongjoong bit his lip, eyes glassy, “Hwa.” Seonghwa smirked, snapping his hips. Hongjoong kissed Seonghwa slowly, Seonghwa’s tongue coming into contact with Hongjoong’s. “Ah, that feels so good.”

Seonghwa set a steady pace, thrusting deeply into Hongjoong. Hongjoong wrapped his legs around Seonghwa’s waist, pushing him deeper inside. They moved closer together, locking eyes.

“You’re so hot, Joong, so good for me.” Seonghwa breathed out, kissing Hongjoong feverishly. He felt Hongjoong’s warmth envelop him, leaning down and breathing in his sweet scent. Hongjoong gasped, chanting Seonghwa’s name.

Hongjoong’s arms tightened around Seonghwa’s neck, “I’m good, just for you, Hwa.”

Seonghwa gently kissed Hongjoong’s neck, licking over the bruises he had created. Seonghwa almost growled, Hongjoong looked absolutely stunning. Hongjoong’s hair in loose strands served as a contrast to his own sweat-slicked hair. “You’re so deep, harder, please,” Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa pleadingly.

Seonghwa obliged, as Hongjoong’s fingers lost themselves in Seonghwa’s hair. Seonghwa held Hongjoong’s waist, filling him as much as possible. Seonghwa’s lips felt like flames against Hongjoong’s, tongue soothing over his bites.

Seonghwa slid out, only to slide back in. Hongjoong held Seonghwa’s back as Seonghwa mumbled affirmations into his hair, “you’re doing so well, love.”

Hongjoong’s breath caught in his throat, “I need you, Hwa.”

Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s leg, placing it on his shoulder. He thrusted deeper inside of Hongjoong, who panted lowly. “Hwa, don’t stop.”

Seonghwa sped up his pace, filling Hongjoong completely, Seonghwa began feeling something in the pit of stomach, he was getting close. “Hwa, I’m going to come.”

“Come for me, Joong.” Seonghwa purred into Hongjoong’s ear.

Hongjoong’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body shaking. They came together, their vision blurring. Seonghwa intertwined their fingers, leaning down to whisper in Hongjoong’s ear, “you did so well, my love.”

Seonghwa left he room for a moment, coming back with a washcloth. After cleaning Hongjoong throughly, he laid down next to him. Hongjoong smiled tiredly, “thank you for everything, I love you, Seonghwa.”

“You’re welcome, Hongjoong. I’d do anything for you,” Seonghwa replied, yawning as he stroked Hongjoong’s cheek. He buttoned Hongjoong’s shirt and pulled him close, placing Hongjoong underneath his chin.

“Seonghwa?” Hongjoong whispered, looking up at Seonghwa.

“Yeah, Joong?” Seonghwa replied.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Hongjoong said, Seonghwa smiled.

“I do, too.” Seonghwa admitted, holding Hongjoong close.

They fell asleep like that, safely tucked in each other’s arms, with their warmth radiating off of one another, and the quiet leak of moonlight smiling at them through the barrier between them and the night sky.

(⋆☆⋆)

After that night, Seonghwa and Hongjoong became ever so much closer. They felt connected, internally and externally. Night had fallen once again, and the stars had come out to play. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat on the couch, lost in each other’s embrace.

“Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asked, “I’m sorry to ask you again so soon, but Yunho and Mingi are having a dinner, and I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to that, too.”

Hongjoong smiled, leaving a chaste kiss on Seonghwa’s neck, “at this point, you don’t even need to ask anymore, we’re practically married.” This time it was Seonghwa’s face that turned red, as he turned to give Hongjoong a quick kiss on the cheek.

“So, Yeosang, what are your plans for this weekend?” Hongjoong asked, opening a new bag of otoscope tips.

Yeosang sighed, “Jongho and I are going to dinner with this other couple.” He said, “Yunho and Mingi, I think.”

Hongjoong coughed, “huh, Seonghwa and I are going to dinner with them this weekend, too.”

Yeosang smiled, “it’s a small world, isn’t it?” Hongjoong nodded, “how does Seonghwa know them?”

“Yunho works at his law firm, they’re pretty good friends, I think.” Hongjoong answered, “I told Seonghwa that we’re basically married and he got so flustered, it was cute.”

“You two are so perfect, it’s sickening.” Yeosang said, running his hand through his hair.

Hongjoong huffed, “you and Jongho are, too. You guys never ever fight,” he countered.

Yeosang shrugged, “that may be true, but you and Seonghwa don’t, either.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Hongjoong replied, sighing in defeat.

“No, no you can’t.” Yeosang finished, turning on his heel and walking back down the hallway. Hongjoong sighed, shaking his head, Yeosang was truly something else.

“Ah, Seonghwa, what are you doing?” Hongjoong asked, giggling as Seonghwa peppered kisses over his face.

Seonghwa stopped, picking Hongjoong up and gently spinning him around. “I have some good news, my love.” Hongjoong clung to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “We’re going to Florida,” he said.

Hongjoong beamed, “oh, Hwa, you’re amazing.”

“You deserve it, Joong, you’re always working so hard.” Seonghwa said, holding Hongjoong close.

“You are too, Hwa, probably harder than me.” Hongjoong replied, “when are we leaving?”

“Whenever you want to,” Seonghwa replied simply. “But for now,” he picked Hongjoong up again, “we still have to go to dinner with Yunho and Mingi.”

Hongjoong laughed, “I talked to Yeosang, he said that he and Jongho were going to a dinner with them on the same day, as well.”

“Oh, right, I kind of forgot to mention that.” Seonghwa said, rubbing the back of his neck. Hongjoong giggled, “do you know what you’re going to wear?”

Hongjoong nodded, “I think so, I’ll be right back.” Hongjoong disappeared into the bedroom and emerged wearing a black, buttoned up dress shirt and slacks, he looked amazing, Seonghwa thought. Seonghwa was wearing something similar, just in grey.

Seonghwa held out his arm for Hongjoong to take, “shall we go?” Hongjoong took his hand, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

(⋆☆⋆)

Yunho and Mingi’s apartment was beautiful, furnished with a beautiful chandelier and antique-looking couches. “We moved in recently, a few months ago.” Yunho explained, arm wrapped tightly around Mingi’s waist.

“But it’s already so beautiful!” Yeosang exclaimed, glancing at the walls, which were covered with gold-framed pictures from the renaissance era.

Mingi bowed slightly, “thank you, I’ve been getting into house decoration these past few months.”

“What do you do, Mingi?” Jongho asked, taking a bite of his food.

“I’m a detective,” Mingi answered, “I’ve been on the force for a while now.”

“He’s the best detective on the force,” Yunho said teasingly, rubbing Mingi’s hand. Mingi’s face flushed, looking down at his plate.

Everyone at the table laughed, taking sips from the bottle of champagne that Yunho opened. “Yunho, you’re a lawyer, too, aren’t you?” Yeosang asked, giving Yunho a questioning look. Yunho nodded, glancing at Seonghwa.

“So, everyone, Hongjoong and I are pleased to announce that we’re both becoming fully licensed doctors, the banquet will be in the summer.” Yeosang said, smiling as Jongho smiled proudly.

Seonghwa gasped, “aw, Hongjoong, I’m so happy for you two!” He kissed Hongjoong’s cheek, while Mingi held up a glass.

“To Hongjoong and Yeosang,” he said. Everyone repeated after him, clapping loudly. Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong lovingly, lips curling into a smile.

There was a large grand piano in Yunho and Mingi’s living room, it sat next to the large stained glass window. “Seonghwa can actually play the piano really well,” Hongjoong said, taking another sip of his champagne.

“Play something for us, Seonghwa.” Yunho said, hand running through Mingi’s hair. Mingi landed into the touch, nodding along with his proposition.

Seonghwa sighed, walking over to the piano and positioning his hands. The tune he played was haunting, enough to draw Hongjoong in, mesmerized by his hand movements. His hands moved swiftly across the keys, like magic.

Seonghwa finished his song and was immediately showered with praise, Hongjoong rushed up to him to give him a kiss. “If you were a pianist, I’d be your biggest fan.” He whispered, allowing Seonghwa to ruffle his hair.

“Thank you, Joong.” Seonghwa intertwined their fingers, pressing a kiss to Hongjoong’s forehead.

Yeosang groaned, “get a room!”

(⋆☆⋆)

Hongjoong stared at the snow pile in front of him, Seonghwa had never had that bad of an idea. He had suggested sledding, as the snow had been piling up. Seonghwa laid down a sled, gesturing for Hongjoong to get in. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Probably, let’s go!” Seonghwa held Hongjoong close, launching them down the hill. Hongjoong screamed, he couldn’t tell whether he was excited or scared for his life. They landed safely, bits of snow falling into Hongjoong’s hair.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Seonghwa asked, handing Hongjoong a cup of hot chocolate. Hongjoong thought for a moment, before sighing.

“It was, my parents never let me do those things, they thought I would get hurt.” Hongjoong paused for a moment, “Hwa, I don’t mean to pry, but, is there a reason you don’t talk about your parents? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Joong, I love you, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me.” Seonghwa stated, “as for my parents, my mom left the house when I was really young, so it was always my dad and I around the house.”

Hongjoong’s face fell, “I’m so sorry, Hwa.”

Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong’s forehead, “don’t be sorry. Even though it was just the two of us, he managed to make my childhood magical. He taught me how to love someone, which is how I’m trying to love you.”

Hongjoong smiled, “and you’re doing a great job. I love you, Hwa.”

Seonghwa wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, holding him in a tight embrace. “I love you too, Joong. I wouldn’t trade loving you for the world.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms, the wind blowing snowflakes around the trees, while they sleep soundly in the comfort of their apartment.

(⋆☆⋆)

Spring had finally come again, and Hongjoong couldn’t have been happier. Seonghwa was finally able to take long walks outside with Hongjoong by his side, although cuddling with Hongjoong indoors was just as nice.

Hongjoong yawned, stretching his arms, it was still early, as indicated by the barely-rising sun. Seonghwa was still sleeping peacefully beside him, his hair falling over his face. “Hwa, baby.” Hongjoong gently brushed the hair out of Seonghwa eyes, looking at him as if there were hearts shooting out of his eyes.

Seonghwa sat up, “good morning, love.”

Hongjoong smiled, “I need to bake something for a staff party at work, do you want to help?” Hongjoong knew very well that Seonghwa was not confident in his cooking abilities, but he never wanted do something without Seonghwa, even though he could.

“I can try,” Seonghwa replied, giving Hongjoong a kiss on the cheek.

“Good, we need to make a cake.” Hongjoong stated, slipping out of bed.

“What do we do first?” Seonghwa asked, pacing around the kitchen. Hongjoong chuckled, setting a bowl on the counter.

“We have to preheat the oven first, set it to three-hundred and fifty degrees, please.” Hongjoong instructed, his back turned to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa pressed a few buttons on the oven, turning back to Hongjoong. “Done, what’s next?”

Hongjoong smiled, “you can help me grease the cake pan, I’ll add the flour.” He held Seonghwa arm steady as Seonghwa dragged the brush across the bottom of the pan. “Now, we need to add the wet ingredients into a bowl.”

Seonghwa nodded, “do I just mix this?”

“Have you seriously never made a cake before?” Hongjoong asked in disbelief, “no offense or anything, though.”

Seonghwa laughed, “none taken, my dad wasn’t much of a baker, he was more of a barbecue guy. I’m glad you’re teaching me how to bake, Joong.”

“I’m glad I can help you gain some basic life skills,” Hongjoong replied teasingly, watching Seonghwa mix the contents of the bowl with a whisk.

Seonghwa set the bowl down, ticking Hongjoong’s sides. Hongjoong laughed loudly, “Joong, this is anything but a basic life skill.” Seonghwa said, relentlessly probing at Hongjoong’s stomach.

Hongjoong wheezed, “fine, I surrender.” He threw his hands in the air, “you win.” Seonghwa gave him a satisfied smile and went back to mixing, small smirk on his face.

“You know, you’re so precious when you laugh.” Seonghwa said, setting the bowl down on the table again.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, “you’re a menace, Hwa.” He retorted, mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. He leaned over to give Seonghwa a kiss, “but you’re my menace.” He began pouring the dry mixture into the wet one, “here, mix these.”

Seonghwa continued, “you’re precious no matter what you do, honestly.” Hongjoong’s face flushed, eyes darting back to the cake mold in front of him. They were silent for a moment, “you know I love you, right?” Seonghwa had a small pout on his lips, that Hongjoong wished he could kiss away.

Hongjoong plucked the bowl from Seonghwa’s hands, slowly pouring it into the mold. “Of course, Hwa.” He opened the oven, sliding the pan inside. “I love you, too, you’re the love of my life.” Seonghwa seemed satisfied with the answer, wrapping Hongjoong in a tight embrace when the oven had been closed.

“Hold on. Hwa, can you check how far along the cake is?” Hongjoong asked, glancing at the timer.

Seonghwa opened the oven, dipping his finger into the mixture and lifting it up to Hongjoong’s mouth. “Here, is it any good?” Hongjoong brought Seonghwa’s hand to his mouth, tongue darting out to flick against his finger.

Hongjoong sucked gently on Seonghwa’s finger, teeth grazing the skin. Seonghwa’s breath hitched, watching with wide eyes as Hongjoong’s tongue swirled around the tip of his index finger. “Ah—Joong.”

Hongjoong gently removed his mouth from Seonghwa’s finger, “it’s good, we did a good job.” He was breathless, chest heaving slightly. Seonghwa grinned, pushing Hongjoong up against the refrigerator.

“You’re such a tease, Joong.” Seonghwa whispered, connecting their lips. Hongjoong smirked against his lips, lips hovering over Seonghwa’s ear.

“Only for you, Hwa.” Hongjoong replied, eyes widening as Seonghwa kissed him roughly, the taste of chocolate on his tongue. Seonghwa’s lips found their way to his neck, pressing hard. Hongjoong squeaked, fingers in Seonghwa’s hair.

Seonghwa kissed him again, sucking his bottom lip. Hongjoong moaned quietly, Seonghwa moved his lips, tilting his head and slipping his tongue past Hongjoong’s parted lips. Hongjoong tilted his head further, his own tongue clashing with Seonghwa’s.

Seonghwa pulled away for a moment, biting Hongjoong’s bottom lip as he closed the gap between them once more. The kitchen was the one place in the house they had not yet ruined, but that was about to change.

Seonghwa hands slipped under Hongjoong’s shirt, fingers caressing the skin. Hongjoong sighed, giggling as Seonghwa picked him up by the bottoms of his thighs. Seonghwa set him on the counter, standing in between Hongjoong’s legs.

Seonghwa removed his shirt, “do you want to do this here?” He grinned when Hongjoong nodded quickly, removing his own sweater. The cake ended up good, with them completely forgetting about the cake in the oven for a while, Hongjoong made sure not to tell Yeosang about what had happened on the counter the next time he came over.

(⋆☆⋆)

“So, Joong, can you still hold alcohol well?” Seonghwa asked, looking at Hongjoong, who was resting his head against Seonghwa’s chest.

Hongjoong hummed, “yeah, I guess so.”

Seonghwa sighed, “well, Yunho and Mingi gave me two passes for this wine-tasting thing that happening nearby—apparently they got the passes from their friends and they didn’t end up using them.” He turned to Hongjoong, “are you in?”

Hongjoong nodded, “sure, why not?”

If you were to ask Hongjoong, he would tell you that he was not, in fact, a wine connoisseur. He was far from it, if he were being honest. When Seonghwa walked him, his arm around Seonghwa’s, he felt as if he didn’t belong there.

Hongjoong looked up the proper wine-tasing etiquette on the internet, and the article he read told him that wearing dark colors would be the best thing to wear in case of a spill. He dressed in a blue tuxedo that hugged his body, in a peaceful contrast to Seonghwa’s black suit and tie.

“Hwa, I’m scared.” Hongjoong whispered, “there are even more people here.” Hongjoong was no stranger to social anxiety, but Seonghwa was always there to calm him down. Seonghwa rubbed his back soothingly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I know, Joong. Don’t worry, I’m here, just focus on me.” Seonghwa said, “besides, it’s mostly old people here.”

Seonghwa guided Hongjoong through the crowd, holding his hand. “Okay, love, the host is over there.” His arm was firmly wrapped around Hongjoong’s waist, as if he were scared to lose him in the crowd.

“You’re the designated driver for tonight, Hwa.” Hongjoong said, “I probably can’t do this as well as you.”

“Aw, Joong, I’m sure you’ll be a pro at this in no time. I’m kind of an amateur compared to the people here, my dad preferred beer.” Seonghwa replied, hugging Hongjoong close to him so that they wouldn’t get separated.

“Good evening,” a voice boomed, “welcome to our winery.” Everyone in the room applauded, the quiet whispers dying down. “Just for an idea of who’s here, raise your hand if you are a new couple.”

A few people raised their hands, the man smirked, “okay, that’s interesting. So, I’ll have to assume the rest of you have had experience in this area?” The room was then filled with different responses, but Hongjoong and Seonghwa shook their heads.

“Alright, well, there a lot of stalls here, so make sure to get to as many as you can!” The man said, “I am your host, Johnny, feel free to ask me any questions!”

Everyone clapped again, “come on, Hwa, let’s get started.” They approached the first winemaker, who poured a red colored wine into their cups. Hongjoong took as sip and led Seonghwa away so he could whisper in his ear, “that is disgusting.”

Seonghwa turned red, “yeah, it’s too strong. You can spit it out if you want to, Joong, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to do that.”

Hongjoong nodded, wiping his mouth subtly. They stopped at another stall which supplied them with a honey colored wine, Seonghwa smelled it and wrinkled his nose. “This smells weird,” he said, giggling quietly.

Seonghwa took a sip, cocking his head. “It’s not bad, but it stills tastes weird, and it looks really dark.”

Hongjoong chuckled, “look at you, making observations.”

Seonghwa gulped, “apparently alcohol tastes better when it’s been aged longer.” He said as the winemaker finished his rant about why his wine was better than the rest of them.

“It’s weird to think that some of these wines are older than we are,” Hongjoong mused, “this one’s thirty years old, isn’t it?”

Seonghwa nodded, “yeah.” He drank it carefully, smiling in satisfaction. “That one’s good, the man was right.”

It took them a concerning amount of time to find one wine that was unlike the others, but they found a magnificent white wine after a while. “Oh my goodness, Seonghwa, I may not know a lot about wine, but I know enough to know that this is an amazing one.” They thanked the winemaker, scurrying off to join Johnny.

“Hi!” Johnny greeted warmly, “I noticed you two are newcomers, what brings you two here today?”

Hongjoong chucked, “in all honesty, we got these passes from our friends who never got around to using them.”

Johnny smiled, “I appreciate your honesty, you two are the realest people I’ve met there tonight.”

Seonghwa bowed, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome…” Johnny trailed off.

Seonghwa smiled, extending his hand, “I’m Seonghwa.”

“I’m Hongjoong,” Hongjoong said.

“Now that we are the end of our tour, we will need your input.” Johnny said, “please, feel free to write down the names of the wines that you enjoyed.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong decided on purchasing the wine they fawned over earlier, “wow, this is our first wine purchase as a couple, how do you feel, Joong?” Seonghwa asked, parking their car in their apartment’s parking ramp.

“I feel good that it’s another thing we share,” Hongjoong replied, leaning back in his seat. “Come closer, Seonghwa.” Seonghwa inched closer, wrapping his arms around Hongjoong’s frame.

Hongjoong smiled softly as Seonghwa brought their foreheads together, “you’re cute.” Seonghwa whispered, Hongjoong felt as if his heat were about to jump out of his chest. Seonghwa pressed his lips to Hongjoong’s forehead, hugging him tight as the day’s last rays of sunlight poured in through the window.

Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong slowly, his fingers running along Hongjoong’s spine. Seonghwa deepened the kiss, tongue slipping into Hongjoong’s mouth. Hongjoong smiled, the taste of wine strong on Seonghwa’s tongue.

Hongjoong threaded his fingers through Seonghwa’s hair, giggling as Seonghwa picked his up gently, setting him on his lap. Hongjoong circled his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, legs wrapping around Seonghwa waist.

They pulled apart, long enough for Seonghwa to stroke Hongjoong’s cheek, “I love you.” He said quietly, gazing into Hongjoong’s eyes.

“I love you too, Hwa, I had a great time tonight, even if most of my time was spent spitting out weird-tasting wine.” Hongjoong said, laying head on Seonghwa’s chest.

Seonghwa opened the car door, picking Hongjoong up. Hongjoong was about to object, “I can walk by myself, you know.”

“I know, Joong, I just like being with you.” Seonghwa replied simply, and there was no way Hongjoong could object to that.

(⋆☆⋆)

“Babe?” Hongjoong was cradled in Seonghwa’s arms, while the latter ran his hands though his hair. Seonghwa quirked an eyebrow, resting his hand on Hongjoong’s cheek.

“Yeah, Joong?” Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong lovingly, his other arm lazily slung around Hongjoong’s back.

“I want a cat,” Hongjoong said, Seonghwa went quiet. “I want to raise a cat with you, Hwa.” He repeated, waiting for Seonghwa’s reaction.

Seonghwa smiled, “okay, I guess we’re going to be cat dads, and I’m more than okay with that.” Hongjoong beamed, causing Seonghwa to remember when Hongjoong mentioned that he had pets as as child.

They fell asleep to the sound of soft winds blowing through the window and Seonghwa’s arms wrapped around Hongjoong’s waist, both dreaming of their future furry companion.

The animal shelter was far from grim, but Hongjoong insisted that they do the world a favor and give a home to the sad animals in the shelter. “I’m so excited!”

“Him,” Hongjoong pointed at a small British shorthair that was curled up inside of a cage. Seonghwa held Hongjoong’s hand tightly, while Hongjoong’s other hand reached up to pet the cat through the confines of the cage.

The shelter worker walked over to them, “are you considering adopting this little guy? He’s been alone for quite some time now.”

Hongjoong smiled softly, “um, yeah, there’s just something special about him. Does he have a name?”

The worker opened the cage, placing the cat in Hongjoong’s arms, “Milo.” Seonghwa scratched behind the cat’s ear, his heart warming as it purred quietly.

“How soon can we adopt him?” Hongjoong blurted, eyes widening as the cat nuzzled into his chest.

“Now, actually, I have the papers ready.” The worker said, rushing over to his desk. He retrieved a stack of papers, “here, just sign these and he’s yours.”

“That’s the last of it,” Seonghwa said, gesturing to the litter box, carrier, cat bed, and bags of cat food crammed into the trunk of their car. He smiled when he saw Hongjoong petting Milo softly, eyes glittering with wonder.

Seonghwa dusted his hands off on his pants, watching as Hongjoong scrambled around the house, preparing for the arrival of Milo. “Are you done yet?” Seonghwa asked teasingly, setting a bowl of cat food in the kitchen.

Hongjoong skidded to a stop, “no, not yet, did you bring Milo inside yet?” Seonghwa nodded, placing a small water fountain next to the food bowl.

Milo walked into the kitchen, pausing to drink from the fountain. Hongjoong cooed, kneeling down to scratch Milo behind the ears, “Hwa, I love him.”

Seonghwa knelt down next to Hongjoong, giving a kiss on the temple. “I’m glad you do, Joong, I think I love him, too.”

(⋆☆⋆)

The months following, Hongjoong and Seonghwa learned that Milo was quite the noisy cat. As much as Hongjoong loved Milo, even he was getting tired of having to let Milo into their bedroom at three am in the morning, they knew it was time for a much needed break.

“Joong,” Seonghwa narrowly dodged Milo running down the hallway, “remember when I said that we’d be going to Florida?”

“Yeah, I do, why?” Hongjoong emerged from behind the wall, wrapping Seonghwa in a tight hug.

“Well, we may or may not be leaving next week.” Seonghwa admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “You start your break next week, right? I mean, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“You’re so silly sometimes, Hwa, of course I would love to go.” He smiled, “I’m excited, it’ll be our first vacation as a couple!”

Seonghwa sighed, holding up a finger, “before you ask about where Milo’s going to be staying, I already asked Jongho to look after him while we’re gone.”

Hongjoong squealed, hugging Seonghwa tightly. “You’re the best boyfriend ever, how thoughtful of you.” Hongjoong skipped away, following Milo into the bedroom.

Yeosang gave Hongjoong a bewildered look when Hongjoong wrapped him in a nearly-suffocating hug. “Wow, I love you, too,” Yeosang said as Hongjoong finally withdrew from the hug. Hongjoong smiled brightly, nearly glowing from excitement.

“You’re the best friend ever, Yeosang.” Hongjoong said, “I already sent you Milo’s entire needs list, make sure to ask me if you have any sort of question.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes, “some father you’ll be.” Hongjoong glared at him, Yeosang put his hands up in defense. “In a good way, I swear!”

Hongjoong scrunched his nose up, furrowing his brows. “You’re lucky I don’t sic Milo on people,” he paused, “yet.” Yeosang widened his eyes, rushing out of the room.

“Have you finished packing?” Seonghwa asked, opening the patio door. Hongjoong walked down the stairs, lugging a suitcase with him.

“Yeah, what about you?” Hongjoong asked, holding Milo in his arms. Seonghwa gave him a thumbs up, opening the blinds.

“Our flight is in a few hours, let’s drop Milo off before we go.” Seonghwa said, picking up Milo’s carrier.

It was early in the morning, and they were up before the sun had risen. “Look at that, Hwa, the sunrise is so pretty today.” Hongjoong mused, trying his best to ignore Milo’s whining in the back of the car.

They dropped Milo off at Yeosang and Jongho’s apartment, before getting back on the road again. Hongjoong felt his stomach tighten at the sight of security guards, “I hate the airport.” He grumbled, setting his passport on the counter.

Seonghwa looked at him, “why?”

“Because I’m always afraid that I did something wrong, even though I know I didn’t.” Hongjoong explained, typing their names into the tablet. “It’s like when I’m walking through the metal detector and I’m suddenly wondering if I accidentally put knives in my pocket.”

Seonghwa chuckled, “I get that. Don’t worry, I’m here to protect you against the metal detectors.”

“Attention everyone, please buckle your seatbelts, we’re preparing for takeoff.” The flight attendant said, “make sure your large items are in the overhead bins.”

Seonghwa sighed, settling in beside Hongjoong. “This a long flight, Joong.” Seonghwa mumbled, “wake me up if you need anything.”

Hongjoong nodded, silently deciding that the last thing he wanted to do was disturb his boyfriend’s well-deserved resting time. He closed his eyes, the plane around him slowly fading out as the the plane took off from the runway.

“Hwa,” Hongjoong poked Seonghwa’s cheek, so much for not disturbing Seonghwa. Seonghwa rubbed his eyes, giving Hongjoong a confused look.

“Love, what time is it?” Seonghwa asked, fumbling with his bag, trying to find his phone. Hongjoong squinted, shrugging slowly.

“It’s been about two hours,” Hongjoong replied, “not sure what the exact time is, though.” Hongjoong gave Seonghwa a peck on the cheek, “you look cute wen you sleep.”

Seonghwa smiled, “does that mean you were watching me?” Hongjoong blushed, hiding his face in Seonghwa’s chest,

“N-no, I was just trying to—uh,” Hongjoong paused, realizing that arguing wasn’t worth it. Seonghwa chuckled, leaning towards a furiously red Hongjoong.

“It’s cute, Joong, I love how you still get flustered even though we’ve been dating for almost three years.” Seonghwa said, “I can’t imagine how you’ll act when we get married.” Seonghwa’s comment didn’t help Hongjoong’s case, causing Hongjoong to get redder.

Hongjoong turned to the window, a small smile on his face at the thought of Seonghwa down on one knee, asking Hongjoong to spend the rest of his life with him. His eyes drifted to the clouds, looking down at the small specks that were—back on the ground—huge bodies of water. Hongjoong looked back at Seonghwa, laying his head on his shoulder.

If you were to ask Hongjoong how he viewed Seonghwa, he wouldn’t have been able to answer, because his love for Seonghwa was truly indescribable.

(⋆☆⋆)

“Wow, Florida is so beautiful.” Hongjoong said, looking around in awe. Seonghwa held his hand, smiling at Hongjoong’s amazement.

“It really is,” Seonghwa added, “look, it’s the shuttle.” They hopped in, enjoying the scenic drive to their suite.

Although none of them brought it up, a vacation was what Seonghwa and Hongjoong desperately needed. The suite that they chose was perfect for all couples, including them. After a long day of exploring and relaxation, they finally headed back to their room.

“Do you want to go out for dinner?” Seonghwa asked, “we can eat anything you want, of course.”

Hongjoong nodded, “yeah, we can go to that lovely Italian place by the shore.”

Seonghwa gathered Hongjoong against him, “make sure to dress nicely, I know you will.” Hongjoong blushed furiously at that, hiding his face in Seonghwa’s chest.

Seonghwa pulled a chair out for Hongjoong, “thank you, Hwa.” Hongjoong said, sitting down and smoothing his pants.

The restaurant was quaint and moderately noisy, more than a few couples were spread out inside the building. “I really like it here, with you, Joong.” Seonghwa said, taking a sip if his wine. Hongjoong looked up, face lighting up at the praise.

Hongjoong smiled, “I do too, Hwa.”

“We’re finally alone, thank goodness.” Hongjoong said, brushing the hair out of his eyes and shutting the door. “I love this place, but there are a lot of people here.”

“That’s because they’re here for the same reason we are,” Seonghwa muttered, “they’re here to enjoy their time as a couple,” he pulled Hongjoong closer, “and I’m here to enjoy you.”

Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong gently, Hongjoong smiled into the kiss. Hongjoong’s fingers slipped into Seonghwa’s hair. “I love you so much, Hwa.” Hongjoong hugged Seonghwa close to him, breathing in his scent.

Seonghwa closed the small gap between them, supporting Hongjoong’s back with his hands. Seonghwa’s tongue slipped past Hongjoong’s slightly-parted lips, gliding into his mouth. Hongjoong’s grabbed Seonghwa’s collar, pulling him even closer.

Seonghwa groaned softly, fingers sliding under Hongjoong’s shirt. Hongjoong’s breath hitched as he bared his neck, leaving Seonghwa more room. Seonghwa bit gently against Hongjoong’s lips, just hard enough to make Hongjoong moan quietly.

Hongjoong slid off his dress coat, pushing it off of his shoulders. Seonghwa smirked, throwing his off. He gently pushed Hongjoong onto the bed, giving Hongjoong a gorgeous smile. Hongjoong chuckled, biting his lip.

Seonghwa began to kiss Hongjoong’s neck fervently, he positioned himself between Hongjoong’s legs, leaving Hongjoong’s legs on either side of his body. They took the time to thoroughly enjoy each other that night.

Coming back from a vacation was never something truly enjoyable, especially when Hongjoong spent a magical two weeks with the boy who possessed his heart. Duties still had to be done, though, and Hongjoong had to return back to the clinic.

“Welcome back, we missed you here.” Yeosang said as Hongjoong trudged into the lab room. Hongjoong blew his hair out of his eyes, giving Yeosang a look.

“I missed you, too. Thank you for taking good care of Milo while I was away, you’re the best friend ever.” Hongjoong said, “I asked him about it, and Milo said that you were a great caretaker.”

Yeosang smiled, “tell him I said thank you.” Yeosang moved to the cabinets, grabbing as few test tubes. “Are you nervous about next week?”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, remembering that he was one week away from becoming a fully licensed doctor. “Um, I kind of forgot about that.” He answered, “but I’m scared and excited about it.”

“I’m glad,” Yeosang replied.

(⋆☆⋆)

Hongjoong allowed Seonghwa to tighten his tie, “I can’t believe this, Joong, you’re finally going to be a doctor.”

“I know, but I never would have gotten to this point without you, Hwa.” Hongjoong replied, Seonghwa’s hands rested on his waist.

“No, Joong, this was all you.” Seonghwa said, interlacing their fingers. “It’s almost your time to go up, good luck, love.” Seonghwa exited the room, walking back to the audience area. Hongjoong sighed, looking at himself in the mirror.

“Now, these two young doctors in training have persevered through the hardest of times, and surgeries, and have both shown an amazing work ethic. Please welcome Kim Hongjoong and Kang Yeosang!” The announcer moved aside, leaving room for Hongjoong and Yeosang to stand.

Hongjoong smiled brightly as the announcer handed them certificates, Hongjoong caught Seonghwa staring at him from the audience, and he saw Jongho watching Yeosang with nothing but love in his eyes.

Hongjoong stepped up to the microphone, taking a deep breath. “First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who has ever believed in me, especially the people who didn’t tell me that I’d end up being a failure.” He paused as the audience let out a few chuckles, “then, I’d like to thank my amazing boyfriend for being the reason I still chose to pursue this field.”

The audience went wild, cheering loudly. Hongjoong chuckled, “before I pass the microphone to Yeosang, I’m so excited to be a licensed doctor. All of my life I’ve ever wanted to do is help people, and I’m glad that I finally get to do that, well, legally.” The audience erupted into laugher once more, Hongjoong passed the microphone to Yeosang.

Yeosang began to speak, but the world around Hongjoong began to blur, all he could see was Seonghwa. It looked like everything was happening in slow motion, Seonghwa’s hair moving slightly, hands coming together perfectly, beautiful lips curled into a smile.

It was at that moment that Hongjoong realized that he truly wanted to be with Seonghwa forever, to stay with him for the rest of their lives, Hongjoong wanted to marry Seonghwa. His heart beat quickly, his mind clouded with a train of thoughts.

“Well, Yeosang, we’ve finally done it.” Hongjoong said, leaning back in his chair.

“I can’t believe it,” Yeosang replied, “oh, Hongjoong?”

“Yeah?” Hongjoong looked at Yeosang lazily, looking at the time on the TV.

“You’ve got a big, red mark on your neck.”

(⋆☆⋆)

Later that week, when Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat on the couch, a mess of tangled limbs, Seonghwa decided to break the comfortable silence. “Joong, uh, what do you think of marriage?” He asked, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Hongjoong looked up, “marriage? I, uh, yeah, marriage is fine. Well, actually, I would love to get married someday.” He replied, “if I were to get married, though, I would want to get married to you, and if we do get married, I want to take your last name.”

Seonghwa almost choked, coughing quietly. “Okay, that’s good.” Hongjoong sighed contentedly, snuggling back into Seonghwa’s chest.

The next time Seonghwa brought up anything else of the sort, it was at the dinner table. “Joong?” Seonghwa’s hand rested on top of Hongjoong’s, while he looked into his eyes.

“Yeah, Hwa?” Hongjoong lifted his fork to his mouth with his free hand.

“You don’t talk about your parents much,” he paused, “could I ever meet them?”

Hongjoong swallowed, “uh, sure you can.” He replied, taking a breath. “They don’t live here, they live back in America, but we can video chat them, if you like.”

Seonghwa nodded, “that’s great.”

The time had finally come for Seonghwa to video chat Hongjoong’s parents once and for all, Seonghwa felt nervous, a little pool of fizzy doubt pooling in his stomach. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat at the desk, computer on the loading screen.

The face of Hongjoong’s parents appeared on the screen, they looked kind, faces worn from their years of life and work. “Hi, mom and dad.” Hongjoong greeted, giving a little wave.

“Hello, dear Hongjoong.” Hongjoong’s mother smiled kindly, “who is this handsome boy, Hongjoong?”

Seonghwa took a deep breath, “my name is Seonghwa, Mrs. Kim.”

“Oh, please, call me Junghee.” She replied, “Hongjoong, why haven’t we met this lovely boy before?”

Hongjoong turned red, “right. Mom, dad, this is my boyfriend, Seonghwa.”

Hongjoong’s dad clapped, “I always knew Hongjoong would find an amazing boy someday! Heran, pleasure to meet you.”

They talked for hours, getting to know one another. Seonghwa ended the call very satisfied with the fact that Hongjoong’s parents were a lot nicer than he thought they were going to be, so his plan was bound to end better than they thought.

Seonghwa knew that he was going to propose to Hongjoong, no matter how nervous he was. Things were already going well, Hongjoong seemed to be on board with the idea of marriage, and Seonghwa had already met Hongjoong’s parents, so had already gotten the hardest things out of the way.

“So, what are you thinking?” Yeosang asked.

“I don’t know much about this, so I didn’t know who else to ask. You’re his best friend, maybe you can help me.” Seonghwa explained, twiddling his fingers.

Yeosang leaned back in his chair, “alright then, ask away.”

Seonghwa sighed, “I want to propose to Hongjoong, we’ve been dating for three years now, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

Yeosang smiled, “yuck, you two are perfect for each other.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow, “says the one with a more domestic relationship than ours.”

“Touché,” Yeosang replied.

“Now, I don’t know anything about jewelry, what kind of ring should I get for Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asked, scratching his head.

Yeosang thought for a moment, “Hongjoong is a very simple boy, but on the inside, he does enjoy flashy things sometimes. I recommend that you get him a diamond ring, but make sure it’s not too flashy, he would think that’s tacky. Hongjoong needs a ring that is a pleasant mix of the two,” Yeosang said.

Seonghwa stood up, determination in his eyes, “thank you so much, Yeosang. Hongjoong’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

“You’re welcome, anything for the future husband of my best friend.” Yeosang replied, saluting Seonghwa softly.

(⋆☆⋆)

After spending a lot of time at the jeweler’s, Seonghwa had finally picked out the perfect ring. It was—like Yeosang suggested—a mix between elegant and simple. It was a ring consisting of two intertwined bands, a diamond one and a plain, sliver one, and a diamond in the middle.

Seonghwa had asked Hongjoong on a date to the same restaurant they had gone to the evening they shared their first kiss, followed by their walk near the Eiffel Tower. Seonghwa smoothed his hair, checking his pocket to ensure that the small box wasn’t noticeable.

“Shall we go, Joong?” Seonghwa asked, holding out his arm.

Hongjoong nodded, taking Seonghwa’s arm. The drive to the restaurant was comfortable, but Seonghwa was secretly freaking out on the inside. Seonghwa pulled out a seat for Hongjoong, right out in the cool summer evening.

They talked about how things were going for them, until they they had finished their meal, Seonghwa took a deep breath, getting down on one knee. Hongjoong’s eyes widened, bracing himself for what Seonghwa was about to say next.

“Kim Hongjoong, from the moment I saw you on the train, it was love at first sight. I love every little thing about you, your laugh, your smile, your determination, even your jokes. Ever since I met you, you have changed my life for the better, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. When we started talking about marriage, all I could—can—think about is how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Kim Hongjoong, will you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?” Seonghwa asked, opening the ring box.

Tears began to flow out of Hongjoong’s eyes, “Seonghwa, anything I’ll say right now will pale in comparison to what you just said, but, you’re the best boyfriend I could ever ask for, you take care of me, love me for who I am, and accept me no matter how big my flaws are. You showed me what it’s like to be in love, and there’s nothing I would love more than to be your husband. Yes—I’ll marry you!”

Seonghwa stood up, slipping the ring onto Hongjoong’s finger.“I love you more than anything else in the entire world, Joong, darling, you are my world.” He connected their lips, hugging Hongjoong closer than ever before, and everything was alright in the world.

(⋆☆⋆)

“One hour and you’ll be a married man, Hongjoong.” Yeosang said, fixing Hongjoong’s hair for the tenth time that day.

Hongjoong smiled, “and I can’t be any more happier about it.”

“I can’t believe that we’ve made it this far, Hongjoong, I’m pleasantly surprised. I never thought I’d make it far enough to see you become a doctor, let alone be here to see you finally married.” Yeosang said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

“You’re honestly the best friend someone can have, Yeosang, and I’m glad that you’re here to celebrate this with me, thank you for staying by my side all these years.” Hongjoong admitted, wrapping Yeosang in a hug.

“Enough of this mushy stuff, get out there and get married!” Yeosang pushed Hongjoong out into the aisle. Seonghwa was already standing at the altar, waiting for Hongjoong with his eyes filled with stars.

The audience went quiet as Hongjoong slowly walked down the aisle, eyes narrowly avoiding Seonghwa’s gaze. The officiant stood, waiting for him. Hongjoong took his place, shyly looking at Seonghwa out of the corner of his eye.

“Welcome, thank you all for coming here on this beautiful summer day to celebrate the union of two amazing individuals, Kim Hongjoong and Park Seonghwa. I’ve officiated many weddings in my career, but, truthfully, I’ve never been as excited for a wedding as I am for this one.” He said, gesturing to the audience.

“To provide a brief summary of their love story, Hongjoong met Seonghwa on the train, one fateful day. Hongjoong was finishing his residency, and Seonghwa was, and is, an established lawyer here in Europe.” The officiant began.

“Both of their lives were complete, but at the same time, they weren’t. Every since that day on the train, Hongjoong and Seonghwa have been hopelessly devoted to each other, which is how they ended up here today.” The officiant continued, shifting in his spot. “Now, Kang Yeosang has something to say.”

Yeosang stepped up to the altar, grabbing the microphone from the officiant. “Thank you. Now, I’ve known Hongjoong ever since college, and trust me, we were in college for a very long time. We followed each other through residency, and that whole time he insisted that he’d be single forever. He was supportive of me when I met my fiancé, Jongho, and you can imagine how happy I was when he told me that he began seeing Seonghwa.”

“Then, we became licensed doctors, and I told Hongjoong that I was getting married. Actually, Seonghwa came to me for advice before he proposed to Hongjoong, for the record. I feel like the proudest friend alive, and nothing will ever beat that feeling, please support the new couple, and have an amazing rest of your lives.” Yeosang said, clearly directing his last comment at Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

Hongjoong smiled, a tear threatening to fall from his eye. He clapped loudly, followed by Yeosang bowing and stepping down from the altar. “This union will represent your commitment to each other, as well as strengthen your bond, bring you together for the rest of your lives. Today, this marks the beginning of your new lives together,” the officiant continued.

“Now, Hongjoong and Seonghwa, please join hands and face each other.” Hongjoong turned to Seonghwa, looking up at him. “Hongjoong, do you take Seonghwa to be your husband?”

Hongjoong nodded, “I do.”

“Seonghwa, do you take Hongjoong to be your husband?” The officiant asked, looking at Seonghwa expectantly.

Seonghwa smiled widely, “I do.”

The officiant sighed, “your rings represent a promise to one another, the never-ending circle is a symbol of an infinite, unbreakable love.” He turned to Seonghwa, “Seonghwa, take this ring and place it on Hongjoong’s finger. Repeat after me; Hongjoong, I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise I made to you today.”

Seonghwa took a breath, “Hongjoong, I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise I made to you today.”

“Now, Hongjoong, take this ring and place it on Seonghwa’s finger. Repeat after me; Seonghwa, I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise I made to you today.” The officiant said, allowing Hongjoong to slip into ring onto Seonghwa’s finger.

“Seonghwa, I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise I made to you today,” Hongjoong said.

“Having pledged your love and promise to one another today, in front of all your friends and family and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you legally married!” Seonghwa wrapped his arm around Hongjoong’s waist, bring their lips together. Hongjoong held onto Seonghwa’s neck, tilting his head.

They pulled apart, long enough for the officiant to clap, “congratulations!”

Later, at the after party, Seonghwa and Hongjoong were dancing slowly to a quiet ballad. Seonghwa stopped, turning around to face a table. “Joong, that’s my dad.”

Hongjoong gasped, “we should go say hi to him, I haven’t met him yet.”

Seonghwa nodded, “okay.”

Seonghwa’s father looked up, engulfing Seonghwa in a hug. “Seonghwa, it’s been so long, how have you been?”

“I’ve been great, dad, thank you so much for coming.” Seonghwa replied, “this is Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong shook his hand, “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

It was at that moment that Hongjoong knew that, in the arms of Seonghwa, with his parents, and his new father-in-law, everything was going to be okay. He didn’t plan on falling in love on the train to Paris, but he wouldn’t trade loving Seonghwa for the world.

Seonghwa, on the other hand, knew that he would protect Hongjoong for the rest of his life. Through rain or shine, he’d be there, and he’d do anything, as long as it were for his darling, Hongjoong


End file.
